Jobs decision day for HMRC staff

Dec 5 2008 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

AFTER more than three years of uncertainty, the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office in Perth is to close, with the loss of 17 jobs, it was announced yesterday.

It is one of 20 offices the length and breadth of Scotland to be axed, resulting in around 400 jobs losses.

Treasury Financial Secretary Stephen Timms said the move would address “new and challenging customer demands.”

But John Oswald, chair of the Public and Commercial Services union branch in Water Vennel, Perth, condemned the action as “short-sighted.”

And he attacked the HMRC consultation exercise, which ended in August.

He added: “They Gerrymandered and fiddled their boundaries to include offices that were never under threat.

“Their sole motive was to make an actual 97% response rate look worse than it was.”

Nine offices are to be retained north of the border following the review.

They include Sidlaw House and Caledonian House, both Dundee, and Saltire House, Glenrothes.

Perth staff, it is understood, will get the chance to transfer there.

Branch organiser Chris Beggs highlighted the change in the economic climate since the department made their initial proposals.

“Perth and Dundee are communities outside the Central Belt and neither can afford to lose local jobs as the recession continues,” he pointed out.

“We desperately need the Westminster Government to look again at HMRC's plans and call a moratorium on job cuts that will harm the local economy.”

Branch secretary Hamish Drummond added: “It has been a long journey but the announcements today will not mark the end of our campaign.

“The support we have had locally from our MPs, MSPs and councillors has been excellent but we will continue to call upon them to argue the case for retaining these quality jobs at the highest levels.”

MSP Roseanna Cunningham MSP attacked yesterday's announcement.

She said: “The London Government had the opportunity to pull back from this decision but they have failed to take it. This is a very disappointing decision indeed and I feel very sorry for the people in my constituency whose Christmas present from Gordon Brown is the news that they will lose their jobs.

“At a time when every penny counts, we should be making it easier for people and businesses to get access to HMRC staff, not harder.

“Labour’s slash and burn approach to the HMRC network will benefit no-one and must be reversed.”