PLANS which could see staff at the Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre made redundant during its £3 million revamp have been branded “shortsighted” by a trade union.
Prospect have warned the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) risks reopening a revamped visitor centre without the experienced staff needed to maintain its reputation.
The historic visitor centre is set to close on October 1 and remain shut until mid-2028 while a major overhaul is carried out.
The National previously revealed that 10 members of staff were impacted by the closure, including six permanent and four seasonal workers. NTS said at the time that a consultation was under way and staff would be redeployed “wherever possible”.
Prospect, which represents workers at the site, has now raised concerns that those who cannot secure positions elsewhere could be made redundant.
The union is participating in an ongoing consultation in an attempt to secure what it described as the “optimal outcome” for staff and the centre.
Prospect negotiator Philip Brooks-Weaver said the union supported the principle of overhauling the attraction but questioned whether sufficient consideration had been given to the workforce needed when it reopens.
“It does make sense to overhaul the Bannockburn Centre so it meets the needs and expectations of visitors,” he said.
“We are not convinced future staffing requirements or the skills required to run the centre have been fully taken onboard.
“Our members at the Centre possess a wealth of irreplaceable knowledge and skills. Making them redundant or permanently moving them to other sites is shortsighted and risks the permanent removal of those skills and knowledge.”
Brooks-Weaver warned that NTS could be left with a newly upgraded attraction but without the experienced workforce required to operate it.
He added: “Prospect is worried that the current plan will result in a fresh new Centre but without the people necessary to maintain its first-class reputation.
“We are calling on NTS to think again and put in place a plan which guarantees the retention of the institutional expertise of the very people who make the Centre the attraction it currently is.
“Some manner of temporary secondment would make much more sense and enable the revamped Centre to live up to its reputation.”
The visitor centre opened in 2014 as part of a £9.1m project timed to coincide with the 700th anniversary of Robert the Bruce's victory over Edward II's English army at the Battle of Bannockburn.
The forthcoming £3m upgrade will focus on the visitor centre, while the wider battlefield grounds will remain open during the work.
The National has approached the National Trust for Scotland for comment.
