THE UK Government has been accused of betraying military workers after it emerged that 110 caretakers are facing being made homeless after being made redundant due to plans by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to scrap their roles.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has said that plans by the Labour government to axe the 125 caretaker roles across the UK would result in 110 of them being left homeless as they currently live in accommodation tied to their employment.
Veteran Kevin Harraughty, a military base caretaker at the Army Reserve centre in Dunfermline, and his wife Tina, who is wheelchair bound and also a veteran, would be among those made homeless by the move, according to The Scotsman.
The proposed job cuts come just one day before Andy Burnham announced an £8.4 billion plan to expand spending on nuclear weapons on the Clyde and to get the new HMS Dreadnought through its sea trials and ready for service by the 2030s.
SNP leader in Westminster Dave Doogan MP said the proposed job cuts are a “clear betrayal of military workers” who are serving behind the scenes to support the country’s armed forces.
“Andy Burnham must urgently explain how he can justify this cut,” he said.
“The loss of not only their jobs, but their homes too will put many of those affected by this cut into a particularly vulnerable situation through no fault of their own - it is simply unfair.
“Successive Tory and Labour government’s have slashed investment in the conventional armed forces, particularly in Scotland, and chosen instead to spend billions on increasingly expensive nuclear weapons - cases like this show exactly why that is the wrong priority, especially for workers.
“Andy Burnham must urgently set out how he can justify this at a time of increased spending on defence - or better yet, scrap this cut all together.”
The MoD has opened a four-week consultation with the PCS where it plans to “draw down” the army’s caretaker capability on July 15, which the union said will effectively scrap all existing caretaker posts and end all the tied housing arrangements they currently have with caretaker staff.
The Army Civilian People Team had planned to hold a “townhall” meeting with affected staff on Wednesday, but postponed it at the last minute because they said they weren’t ready to field all the expected questions. It is now planned for September.
One tearful member shared with the meeting how they are facing being made homeless as tenancies are set to be terminated on March 31, while they will remain in a job until July 31.
“A lot of us live hand to mouth and there has been nothing from the MoD to explain how they will help us secure new accommodation, such as paying the deposit for a home,” said another member.
“The MoD at least owe us the factual data we need, but they haven’t even given us that,” said one caretaker.
Another member said the plans went against Prime Minister Burnham’s goal to eradicate homelessness as many caretakers and their families now face eviction.
Meanwhile, another queried the economics behind the decision, saying: “This results in such miniscule savings for the MoD overall it doesn’t make any sense.”
Mr Harraughty, originally from Edinburgh, served in the first Gulf War and did multiple tours of Northern Ireland. He and his wife have lived at the Fife base for 13 years.
“It's tied accommodation, so you have the accommodation as long as you have the job,” Mr Harraughty told the Scotsman.
“But they're making us homeless prior to us losing a job.
“So we lose the accommodation, and then three months later, we're actually made redundant.”
Mr Harraughty served in the army for 16 years, while his wife was in the reserve Territorial Army, and is an unpaid carer for Tina, who has had mobility issues.
He said: “She's disabled. I've been a carer for her for quite some time.
“But about four months ago, we got up one morning. She was completely paralysed from the chest down.
“She was in hospital for over two months, and she was discharged back home with a rehab team coming in every day.
“Then obviously getting this news is not good. It’s unimaginable.”
He added: “It's been a tough time as it is for both of us. And now we have this.”
A MoD spokesperson said: “The £298 billion committed across this Parliament through the DefenceInvestmentPlan will see the highest levels of defence spending for a generation. That includes £74 billion for the MOD next year alone - £20 billion more than the last year under the previous government - ensuring no return to the hollowed out Armed Forces of the past.
“Separately, the Army is conducting a comprehensive review of caretaking arrangements at Reserve Centres and University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) sites to ensure we provide the most effective and efficient support for our Reserve and UOTC locations whilst fulfilling our duty of care to employees.
“The welfare of our caretakers, many of whom have given dedicated service to the Army, remains our priority. We will explore all options for supporting employees, including redeployment opportunities, and will ensure full consideration of accommodation arrangements.”
