POLICE Scotland is facing an industrial dispute with cleaners threatening to strike at its flagship training college.
The Scottish Police College is lauded on the force's website as a "unique and highly disciplined environment". However, the site at Tulliallan Castle, Kincardine, could become the scene of a strike.
Sodexo, the firm taking over the cleaning contract for the college, has agreed to pay a living wage of £8.75 an hour, but the GMB union says the company is planning to cut jobs to fund this.
More than 30 staff work in housekeeping, cleaning, and changing beds at the training site.
The GMB said it would hold a consultative ballot on industrial action, asking whether its members would be prepared to strike in principle.
GMB Scotland organiser Christina Lambie said: “In April the changeover of the soft services contract at Tulliallan from Mitie to Sodexo resulted in the delivery of the Scottish living wage, providing a basic £8.75 an hour for our members – but there’s been a sting in the tail.
"We’ve now learned the price the dedicated and hard working staff will pay for that uplift is a change in shift patterns to five days over seven, along with a cut of 187.5 hours a week to housekeeping services.
"Left unchecked, this can only result in redundancies.
"What Police Scotland and Sodexo are doing is giving with one hand and taking away with the other, leaving the livelihoods of our members and their families under threat."
Police Scotland head of estates, Phil Collard, said that Sodexo was responsible for the employment of the cleaners.
He said: “Staff who provide housekeeping services at the Scottish Police College are employed by external contractors and not employed by Police Scotland."
A Sodexo spokesman added: “We took over the housekeeping contract at Scottish Police College on 1 April.
“As per the tender, we have notified employees there will be a consultation beginning in June over working arrangements.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further until the consultation is complete.”
Police Scotland was launched five years ago after Scotland's eight regional forces merged, with the aim of transforming frontline policing.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “This is a matter for the contractors and the staff they employ.”
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