Council employees need respect, urges authority

Recycling staff, engineers and more subjected to harassment

Calls have been made for people to respect council staff carrying out essential duties across Scotland during the coronavirus pandemic.

Recycling workers, park groundskeepers, civil enforcement officers, road engineers and bus drivers have been recent targets of abuse, with the Local Government Association (LGA) warning more incidents could follow.

This week North

Lanarkshire Council was forced to make a statement pleading with the public to not harass its staff.

It said: “A number of health and social care staff have been verbally abused while delivering care to our most vulnerable.

“Our staff should never face any abuse of any kind.

“They deserve our thanks and their dedication and empathy should be recognised by everyone during this extremely challenging time.”

Last night Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) president, and Aberdeenshire councillor, Alison Evison said people should “pay tribute” to council staff, like they do to other key workers such as NHS staff.

She said: “These and many other key council workers are vital and doing everything that they can to maintain services to our communities and to keep our residents supported.

“In addition we should also remember and pay tribute to those local government workers working alongside our staff intheNHSandtheother blue light services to keep us safe. Many others are working behind the scenes to maintain the systems that keep our local services functioning.”

Larry Flanagan, of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Scotland’s biggest teaching union, added: “The work that is being undertaken in hub schools by teachers, janitors, cleaners, catering staff and others, is critical to supporting NHS workers and reducing the number of deaths caused by Covid-19.”

Last week, Aberdeenshire Council had to issue a statement calling on residents to stop telling their bin collector to go home.

The local authority had to remind households that the “critical service” must continue despite the coronavirus pandemic, and that its staff must be allowed to continue their jobs without fearing harassment from people worried about the spread of coronavirus.

Public displays of support for the under-resourced NHS heroes desperately battling coronavirus on the frontline are to be seen everywhere. Spelled out in lights on a roof or loudly applauded from gardens and doorsteps, they have been a heartening part of our collective response to the crisis.

If we can rightly take pride in our national recognition of their vital role though, we should no less feel ashamed at the treatment of others playing their part.

The abuse, verbal and physical, being meted out to council workers reveals some appalling attitudes held by a selfish and ignorant minority.

Of course tensions are high and people are rightly being vigilant when it comes to the lockdown being observed.

But what do people demanding, in cruder terms, that refuse collectors “go home” think would be the consequences of these essential workers downing tools and giving up the fight to keep the country running?

Most probably the answer is that they do not think at all – and would also be the first to insist someone else do something if the rubbish was piling up, rats feasting and our public health facing a whole other threat.

So yes, let us shout when we see people doing some of these jobs crucial to getting us through this crisis in the best possible shape – let us shout “thank you very much”.

“The abuse meted out to council workers reveals some appalling attitudes heldbya minority”

Councillor Alison Evison