Justified anger after Abellio sacks four Lochaber workers

It is difficult not to have sympathy with the expressions of genuine anger voiced by a number of people over the sacking of four members of staff at Abellio’s Fort William call centre.

The rail service operator announced recently that the four workers were to have their jobs transferred to Glasgow but that they would not be offered the option of moving south to continue their employment.

The general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, Manuel Cortes, said the uncertainty the announcement created would ‘shake Fort William’ and decried the move by Abellio, saying the firm should ‘hang its head in shame’.

Meanwhile, MSP Kate Forbes and Councillor Andrew Baxter were also quick to join the ranks of those condemning Abellio for its action.

Given the nature of call centre work – and the fact that very many call centres these days are not even located in the country they serve – it is difficult to know what benefit Abellio will accrue by moving these jobs to Glasgow.

After all, people calling its helpline for information can just as easily be assisted by staff in Fort William as in the central belt.

Councillor Baxter went on to say that he thought the employees in question had been treated ‘shabbily’.

It is a point of view with which we very much concur.