PCS: Forestry Commission job cuts devastate communities
Responding to the announcement that the Forestry Commission plans to cut hundreds of jobs on the day MPs were debating selling off forests and woodlands and ahead of a PCS rally outside the commission’s headquarters in Edinburgh tomorrow, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said:
“These job cuts will decimate the Forestry Commission where many staff have spent their entire careers, even before the impact of the proposed sell-off, lease and giveaway of the public forest estate. For many there is no prospect of picking up other work because the economy is in such a poor state and suffering from the cuts in public services. The private sector jobs that the coalition spoke about have not materialised.
“These job losses will hit industries and services allied to forestry, have a severe impact on small communities and affect tourism and other services to the 40 million visitors a year to the forests.
“The only way to protect staff and avoid the wider impact on jobs and economies from the attack on the forests is to have a properly-resourced Forestry Commission to directly own and run the public forest estate.”
A 25% cut across the board and major restructuring could cause 300 job losses in England, with 256 jobs at risk at the Forest Enterprise which runs the public forests.
Thirty-nine jobs are under threat at the Forestry Authority and Forest Research. Coming on top of the 25% budget cuts the sell-off would impact on jobs not just in England but also in Scotland at the Forestry Commission HQ in Edinburgh with 150 consequential job losses.
More than 410,000 people have now signed the online petition against the forest sell-off.
Photo call:
12.15pm: Forestry Commission HQ, Silvan House, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh.
PCS officials will be on hand to do interviews.
ENDS
Notes to editors
. For further information, interviews and comment please contact Dave Tilley PCS journalist on 020 7801 2744 or 07543 334376.
. PCS, the Public and Commercial Services Union is the union representing civil and public servants in central government. It has more than 300,000 members in over 200 departments and agencies. It also represents workers in parts of government transferred to the private sector. PCS is the UK’s sixth largest union and is affiliated to the TUC. The general secretary is Mark Serwotka and the president Janice Godrich.
Dave Tilley
Journalist
Public and Commercial Services Union
160 Falcon Road
London SW11 2LN
Direct line: 020 7801 2744
Mobile: 07543 334 376
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