Warning on jobs is“scaremongering”

All 1,470 workers at Cumbernauld’s HMRC office will be able to transfer to jobs in a Scottish Civil Service if the country secedes from the UK.

That is the claim from local SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn, who has accused Cumbernauld and Kilsyth MP Gregg McClymont for “scaremongering” over the future of the tax office jobs by suggesting these could be at risk if Scotland becomes independent.

Mr Hepburn was reacting to News and Chronicle reports of a demo staged by Mr McClymont at the tax office along with Scottish Labour deputy leader and Labour MP Jim Murphy MP,

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Following Mr McClymont’s original comments PCS trade union representative John Miller wrote to the News and Chronicle, at the request of union members who work at the tax office, to comprehensively reject the MP’s claims.

Mr Hepburn said: “Rather than inventing threats, Mr McClymont should be holding the UK Government to account for the real and present threat of job losses which are hanging over the heads of some 43 employees and their families.

“We know that the PCS union, which represents workers at HMRC has identified further tens of thousands of jobs to be cut by the UK Government.”

He said the Scottish Government had made “clear commitments” to transfer UK civil service jobs if Scotland votes Yes in the referendum.

And he argued the jobs would be better protected, as the Scottish Government’s policy of no compulsory redundancies would include all Civil Servants, as would paying the living wage as a minimum.