More than 1200 Highlife Highland staff are furloughed just under a month after it closed its main leisure facilities across the region in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown
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More than 1200 staff at Highland Council’s arm’s reach leisure provider Highlife Highland (HLH) have been placed on furlough due to Covid-19.
Around a month ago the charity was forced to close a huge range of the facilities it runs – including leisure centres, libraries, archive centres, libraries, and swimming pools – due to the dangers posed by the virus.
Now 1208 staff have been furloughed on full pay but it is expected that more will come but there will be no change to the terms and conditions of their contracts when they return to work.
Chief executive of HLH Steve Walsh said the board took the decision to apply for the government’s coronavirus job retention scheme to protect the long-term sustainability of the service.
Mr Walsh said: “Due to the COVID-19 and the government guidelines put in place around social distancing and essential travel the board of directors has taken the decision to make application to the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and furlough a substantial number of staff across all services.
“Taking this into account, this week HLH placed 1,208 staff on furlough leave with more likely to follow in the forthcoming days and weeks online services to our customers and services users are further developed.
“We have worked closely with our Trade Unions and have received full support from GMB, UNISON and Unite through a temporary collective agreement that was created and approved in a matter of days.
“And I am pleased that feedback since we started advising staff being placed on furlough leave has been very positive, with staff being ‘relieved’ to know the position and ‘accepting’ of the furlough process – which is obviously very reassuring for me to hear.
“Furloughed staff are being actively encouraged use some of the skills they have gained during their employment with HLH to help out in their local community in whatever way they can while they are on furlough leave.
“I am very proud of the response from the HLH team in terms of the amount of individual support and volunteering even prior to the majority of staff being placed on furlough leave.
"And I understand that many of our team members, both on and off furlough leave, are continuing to support their local communities across the Highlands.”
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