The Prospect union has criticised redundancy plans for staff at the Battle of Bannockburn Centre during its nearly two-year closure, calling them "shortsighted" and urging the site's owners to reconsider.
The National Trust for Scotland unveiled £3million upgrade plans earlier this month to modernise the experience for thousands of visitors learning about the 1314 battle. The centre will close until summer 2028 for the works, aiming to reopen in time for the anniversary.
Union calls for rethink on staffing plans
Prospect negotiator Philip Brooks-Weaver said: "It does make sense to overhaul the Bannockburn Centre so it meets the needs and expectations of visitors. We are not convinced future staffing requirements or the skills required to run the centre have been fully taken onboard."
He added: "Our members at the Centre possess a wealth of irreplaceable knowledge and skills. Making them redundant or permanently moving them to other sites is shortsighted and risks the permanent removal of those skills and knowledge."
Concerns over future reputation
Brooks-Weaver warned: "Prospect is worried that the current plan will result in a fresh new Centre but without the people necessary to maintain its first-class reputation. We are calling on NTS to think again and put in place a plan which guarantees the retention of the institutional expertise of the very people who make the Centre the attraction it currently is."
He suggested: "Some manner of temporary secondment would make much more sense and enable the revamped Centre to live up to its reputation."
Background and staff impact
The current visitor centre was first created in 2014 as part of a £9.1m revamp, with NTS working alongside Historic Scotland and funding provided by the Scottish Government and Heritage Lottery Fund. It was timed to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the battle and replaced outdated indoor facilities in place since the 1960s.
Bosses have labelled the 3D interactive offering at the centre as "out-of-date" and pledged a more story-led approach ahead of the reopening.
Last month, NTS regional director for Edinburgh & East, Stuart Maxwell, told the Observer that the organisation had entered consultation with ten staff affected by the closure. He said: "We're negotiating with the staff about how we keep that going and it might be a case of instead of schools coming here during the closure, we go to them but it's something we're definitely keen to maintain."
Maxwell added: "It's a hellish process and the first priority is to try and relocate staff at other Trust sites. There are ten staff at risk, five permanent and five seasonal whose contracts were due to end in October. For those five core members of staff, we're looking to keep at least one for the educational side and then we always have internal vacancies at the Trust of around 10-12 positions and we will look to give preference for interview to those at risk of redundancy."
The Observer has reached out to NTS for a response on the union's concerns.
