| UNISON City of Edinburgh Branch |
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3 March 2001 Creches could have been saved UNISON has reacted angrily to Edinburgh Leisure's decision to go ahead with creche closures, despite the union coming up with a plan to save the service. The union has now pledged to fight the planned redundancies 'with every means available'. The Edinburgh Leisure Trust had asked the union to look at the books and suggest how the creches could be saved. Union officers had pored over the finances and found that the actual savings needed were just over half of the £63,000 quoted by the Trust. "We suggested that with more energy efficiency, promoting increased use, administrative savings and a marginal increase in charges, the money could be found to save the creches and avoid any job losses", said George Lee, Edinburgh UNISON manual convenor. "If there was a will in Edinburgh Leisure to save the creches, it could be done. With our proposals rejected out of hand, it is clear that the will is not there. Edinburgh Leisure has lost its way. It needs to decide whether it is really a charitable Trust set up to provide public services for the people of Edinburgh, or whether it is just another business". George Lee has also slammed the Trust boss's claim that the union was offered talks on the budget last year as 'ridiculous'. "We were asked to comment on a blank sheet of paper. They would not give us access to their draft plans, so there was nothing we could comment on", he said. "The Council keeps saying sports and swim centres are a council service, but it can't influence Edinburgh Leisure's decision. Edinburgh Leisure says it's the council's fault for not providing the money. The fact is that no-one is taking responsibility and that is the whole problem with 'arms-length' provision. We don't have a say, the public don't have a say and the politicians apparently don't have a say in a service we are all paying for", added UNISON branch secretary John Stevenson. ENDS
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