Who fought for Caley?

I READ with interest your article on the talks that took place in relation to the Caley works, the loss of jobs and the possibility of usage of the site in the future.

The stakeholder group Mr Doris claims to have “established” has presided over the loss of 200 highly skilled jobs in an area that has precious few opportunities for youngsters.

Unite the Union approached Mr Matheson, Minister for Transport, back in October 2018 prior to the “sale” of the business to voice serious concerns about the imminent new owners and the lack of activity in securing or even tendering for contracts that would see Springburn having some sort of continuous future for the workforce.

In over eight months of talks the Scottish government has consistently claimed they didn’t have enough time to act. This is nothing more than an excuse. Time after time Unite have come with solutions only for the government to pour cold water on every suggestion. Even Paul Sweeney MP suggestion around restoring the steam locomotive at Summerlee and bringing it back to Springburn has been dismissed with claims that any restoration work would need to be put out to tender and a possibility of it going to the South of England instead if the tendering process was adhered to, absolute nonsense. The Scottish government has constantly told us what they can’t do, not once have they told us what they can do.

So to Mr Doris, who last visited our workplace on December 14, 2018, we say, we’re sorry we can’t share in your encouraging thinking, but we will remember those who fought and those who didn’t for the 200 workers now no longer there.

Les Ashton, Unite Convenor, The Caley

Screen sickener

Has anyone noticed how in your face the rich and famous are ? On telly we have programmes about people on universal credit living in poverty. But on the other channel, we have Royal Family Spending Secrets, Grand Country Houses and celebrities taking their families on trips of a lifetime so we can see how good they have it. Sickening.

Richard Low, Twechar