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Union Calls on Murphy to Act on Student Loans Job Cuts

23 February 2010

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has called on the Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy to back their campaign to save 200 highly skilled jobs under threat at the Student Loans Company in Glasgow.

The union are calling on Mr Murphy to make good on his comments on unemployment, following the issue of figures last week showing that unemployment in Scotland has risen while the numbers in the UK as a whole had fallen.

While Jim Murphy has proclaimed that the UK Government would work ‘day and night to help people back into work and create the jobs of the future’ a UK Government agency, the Student Loans Company (SLC) is planning to cut 200 well paid jobs in Glasgow including moving 45 jobs from its Hillington site to Darlington.

Colin Young PCS branch secretary for SLC said

“Jim Murphy has said the UK Labour Government will fight for jobs for Scotland. Yet his Labour ministerial colleagues at the Business Innovation and Skills Department (BIS) are forcing through budget cuts which will mean Glasgow will lose 150 highly paid jobs at Student Loans in the next two months. And they are also allowing the Company to transfer a further 45 jobs from Hillington to Darlington.

If he is serious about protecting jobs in Scotland, Mr Murphy should press his Westminster colleagues to remove the threat to these jobs and the hardship which will fall on the Glasgow families of those who face redundancy.”

Lynn Henderson PCS Scottish Secretary said

“It is unacceptable that the UK Government minister for Scotland says on the one hand it will fight for jobs for Scotland while other ministers are forcing through cuts and job transfers.

With the unemployment figures rising faster here, Scotland and Glasgow can ill afford to lose hundreds of highly skilled well-paid jobs.

As these job losses are driven by the UK Government’s budget cuts, Jim Murphy should press the UK parent department to reverse these cuts and ensure that the Student Loans Company is fully funded to meet the challenges of ever increasing applications for student loans”

The union is also seeking urgent meetings with constituency MPs Mohammed Sarwar and Ian Davidson.

You can support the campaign by sending an e-mail directly to your MP, which will be copied to your MSP and local councillor, and by signing the online petition.

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