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Kelvin Central sheds 160
Page 20
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• Kelvin Central Buses is blaming the 14-week Central Scottish drivers' strike for the closure of its East Kilbride and Wishaw depots, with the loss of 160 jobs.
Central has been merged with its neighbour Kelvin in preparation for a sell-off as part of the Scottish Bus Group privatisation, and the depots will close on 3 December.
Kelvin Central managing director David McCracken says: "It is unfortunate that we had to make this decision, but it is necessary to reduce surplus capacity to protect the viability of the company."
At present 466 of KCB's 1,850 staff work at East Kilbride and Wishaw.
KCB hopes that the cuts can be achieved through voluntary redundancies: the remaining staff will be offered alternative employment. The closure of the two depots will leave only the Motherwell depot in Central's traditional Lanarkshire operating area: once SBG's most profitable territory. KCB's other depots, at Airdrie, Cumbernauld, Kirkintilloch, Motherwell, Old Kilpatrick and Stepps, will be expanded to handle the services transferred from East Kilbride and Wishaw. Three East Kilbride Local services and one trunk service will be withdrawn.
The strikes earlier this year, over the introduction of revised rosters, cost Central more than 23 million. Although KCB has won back a proportion of the business it lost, the strikes encouraged other operators in the area to offer directlycompetitive services.
James Elaby, the Transport and General Workers Union area secretary, says that the decision to close the depots was taken "through a mixture of spite and with one eye on the upcoming privatisation of the company". He alleges: "This management is determined to privatise the company in a way which will diminish the services, not only in East Kilbride but throughout Lanarkshire. I cannot express the disgust and anger I feel at this."