A FORMER policeman has accused conservation body the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) of a “toxic cocktail” of incompetence, bad staff management and a lack of consideration after he was told he faced redundancy, was then wrongly furloughed and eventually dismissed.
Alan Rycroft, who started work at Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum in Cromarty at the beginning of the 2018 season, claimed the NTS was using the coronavirus pandemic to end his contract, despite a boss describing him in writing, as a “valued and respected” member of staff.
Now he has taken his case to SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, his MSP colleague Kate Forbes and Highland councillor Craig Fraser.
Rycroft told The National he was subject to “great levels of undeserved stress” by the NTS’s treatment, which he says ranged from “being told I was being made redundant, through then … being furloughed, only to then be dismissed – having done absolutely nothing wrong”.
He said: “The NTS knows well that, at the age of 64, this job was important for me to retain at all costs, yet has used the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to discard me.
“It is also cynically aware that, because my latest unbroken period of employment did not extend to two years, I cannot apply to an employment tribunal for redress.
“It has taken advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to, initially, tell me that I was being made redundant; several weeks later to furlough me (albeit not paying me correctly under the furlough scheme); then several more weeks later deciding it had furloughed me ‘in error’, and instead was terminating my employment.”
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Rycroft said the charity had also failed to respond to written correspondence, or a letter from Blackford backing him. The National has seen the lengthy NTS email trail, some of which praise Rycroft’s exemplary service at the museum.
He added: “The Trust also failed to make any payment to me – despite its own acceptance that I was due money. Of course, I do understand that these are extremely difficult times for the Trust, and that unwelcome business decisions may be deemed to be necessary.
“However, I contend that, since my continuous employment did, beyond dispute, last for longer than one year, at the very least I could have been made redundant, rather than the stark termination of my employment.”
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A spokesperson for the NTS blamed the problems on an administrative error.
They said: “The error affected a very small number of people, Alan included, out of a workforce of hundreds. Those affected received a letter informing them they were furloughed alongside a letter confirming the ending of their fixed-term contracts. Clearly, they should have received only the latter communication.
“Once we were aware of the mistake, we wrote to Alan and the other staff on May 6. We took full responsibility and did not take any repayments from those whose contracts had ended as the mistake was ours.
“As can be imagined, it’s been an unsettling time for everyone and the error crept in during what was a complex and difficult process due to all our teams being dispersed.
“As we previously stated, due to the public health emergency and l ockdown, and with all our properties closed, this has wiped out all of the Trust’s income and we were forced to take emergency measures, including foregoing seasonal recruitment and ending fixed and temporary contracts.
“The general manager for our Highlands and Islands region has written to Alan with a full explanation in response to the points raised he has raised.”
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