Repair workers claim backlog has doubled
CONCERNED workers responsible for carrying out vital repairs for Inverclyde’s largest housing association have accused bosses of mismanagement and claimed that a repairs backlog has doubled to 3,000.
Whistleblowers have contacted the Tele to report problems at Home Fix Scotland, the maintenance arm of River Clyde Homes.
They say they are speaking out because they fear for their jobs, claiming that work is being passed to sub-contractors instead of using the in-house service.
It follows months of uncertainty after changes to work practices and claims of a number of resignations.
River Clyde Homes chief executive Richard Turnock and his senior team previously came under scrutiny from Inverclyde Council over the length of time being taken to carry out repairs to its stock, with a tenant in one shocking case waiting 11 years.
One disgruntled worker, who asked not to be named, told the Tele: “It has been horrendous and has got worse in the last four or five months.
“There are teams of workers in vans waiting to get stuck in, but we can’t do anything because all the work gets taken off us and given to sub-contractors. It doesn’t make any sense.
“It started with the voids, the empty properties. A contractor has been brought into to do that work. But now more has been taken off of us.
“We can’t get a hold of materials, because we don’t store them anymore. So it takes so much longer to get one job done. We have to go to a wholesaler and then they don’t have what we need.”
A source said that a loss of planning staff had added to the company’s problems.
They said: “The biggest problem has been losing the planners, there is no one planning jobs properly because they are all leaving. No one knows from one day to the next what we are doing. Then jobs get taken away.
“It is simply bad management. We all live in the area and we are having to face the tenants who are waiting [for repairs]. There are skilled plasterers, slaters and joiners, and we just want to be able to do the job. Some of us have 40 years service and we are worried about the future. It can’t go on like this.”
Home Fix workers say they have tried unsuccessfully to raise their concerns with management.
Last year problems at River Clyde Homes were highlighted during a heated debate at an Inverclyde Council meeting, where elected members lined up to criticise the social landlord over cases where they’d had to intervene.
The Tele reported then that the repairs backlog stood at 1,500 and assurances were given by chief executive Mr Turnock that the logjam would be cleared.
But one of the Home Fix workers claims this is not the case, adding: “We were told that there are 3,000 repairs outstanding. But it looks like they going to sub-contract out even more work.”
Another Home Fix employee said: “It is a shambles. Trades were assured their jobs were safe by the chief executive, but for how long? So many people are leaving, tradespeople and others in the office. They have told management what the problems are but it gets ignored.”
Bosses at River Clyde Homes today dismissed concerns about the future of Home Fix workers. They also said that some work which had been contracted out was now back in-house.
A spokesperson for the housing association said: “Our business plan for the next financial year includes a full work plan for our HFS staff and as such there are no plans to reduce the size of the HFS team; this was made clear to all staff during recent face to face Q&A meetings.
“The use of sub-contractors is not a new development and where specialist skills or additional resources are required, we will engage with external suppliers to assist.
“We are also committed to bringing more apprentices onto the existing HFS team and are pleased to confirm some works previously carried out by sub-contractors are now back in-house.”