The National Trust for Scotland could reduce its workforce by up to a quarter as part of a drive to generate an extra £8m a year of income and savings.
But Prospect, the union representing staff, has said it is “a devastating blow to Scotland’s heritage sector” which risk damaging the charity in the long term.
The National Trust for Scotland yesterday began a formal consultation on what it called “significant changes to its structure”, which also involve a plan to invest £17m over the next three years in some of Scotland’s most famous locations.
It said that 68 new posts will be created across Scotland, while around 42 posts will be transferred away from the trust’s Edinburgh base. There will be an overall reduction in staff numbers, mainly at the trust’s headquarters, with 142 posts classified as ‘at risk’.
Simon Skinner, chief executive of the trust, said: “We have opened consultation with our recognised trade union on a visionary transformation of the trust. It is a bold and ambitious vision, which challenges us to completely change the way we deliver our core purposes.
“For those affected we will be opening up opportunities for voluntary redundancy and will match as many people as possible to new posts in order to keep compulsory redundancy to a minimum.
“But, inevitably, we will be losing some of our old friends and colleagues and some will have to move from their current base: change is not easy but change we must if we are to continue to deliver on our core purposes.”
Skinner said the changes were necessary to “allow us to address the £47m conservation backlog that has been a longstanding barrier to our ambitions”.
But Ian Perth, a negotiator for the union Prospect, said that the announcement would cause difficulties for the trust.
“Today’s announcement is a devastating blow to Scotland’s heritage sector,” he said. “Our members are already significantly stretched and continue to do valuable work for the charity in such difficult times.
“We are concerned that the trust’s proposals rely heavily on replacing full-time staff with contractors. Although a move like this can show short-term cost reductions, they risk damaging the trust in the long-term.”
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