LOCAL MSP Christine Grahame says she is prepared to chair a meeting between the board of the charitable Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) and its tradesmen in a bid to resolve a bitter industrial dispute.

Ms Grahame’s mediating offer came on Saturday at a mass meeting of the maintenance division which recently voted to take industrial action in a ballot organised by the union Unite.

Around 40 of that disaffected workforce met in the Abbotsford Hotel, Galashiels, and unanimously agreed to continue their work to rule which began on Friday.

It involved workers who normally take their vans home for the weekend depositing them at SBHA’s Selkirk HQ at 4pm. They did not picked them up again until Monday.

At present, the 37.5 hour working week of the maintenance division starts when they leave their homes in company vehicles at 8am. They have every third Friday off.

The rejected management proposal is for employees to start work “on site” at tenants’ homes at 8am daily and finish at 1pm every Friday.  The union claims this would equate to an extra 3.5 unpaid hours, worth around £50, each week, while management insists it would comply with standard industry practice, give a better service to tenants and help ensure the long term viability of the association.

Allan Graham, convener of the Unite branch at SBHA, said Saturday’s meeting had been called to update union members of developments since the ballot.

“A delegation met SBHA chief executive Julia Mulloy to discuss the result after the ballot and we were encouraged when she told us she was open to further negotiations,” said Mr Graham. “That is why we chose to go down the road of a limited work to rule which would not adversely affect tenants.

“It has always been our desire to protect the long term interests of tenants which we believe is not best served by cutting our pay.

“But the following day we received word from ACAS to say SBHA would not be negotiating further so Saturday’s meeting was to discuss the implications of this and decide our next course of action.” On a unanimous show of hands, the meeting agreed to continue the work to rule which is mandated to last for up to 12 weeks.

Ms Grahame admitted at the meeting that in her role as a local MSP she was aware there were “huge management problems at SBHA”.

But she acknowledged the need for efficiency savings within the organisation and suggested that, over the next fortnight, the worker should prepare a business case outlining improvements in management practices which would achieve the required savings.

There was no shortage of suggestions as to how these savings could be achieved.

“An improved appointment system for repairs, better geographical deployment of trademen and a quicker turnaround of void [empty properties] were flagged up as ways SBHA could save money,” said Allan Graham.

“Those workers on contracts, fitting bathrooms and kitchens, complain about being shifted from job to job rather than completing a whole street and this is another area where savings can be made.

“We have mentioned all these things at meetings with management, but we believe these have not been reported to the board and its tenant representatives.

“We thus very much welcome Ms Grahame’s initiative and are working on the business case now.” A letter of support for the workforce was received on Saturday from South of Scotland Labour MSP Claudia Beamish.

She said she was “bitterly disappointed” at management attempts to increase working hours without honouring the existing pay rate.

“At a time when the cost of living is increasing, such an erosion of wages is particularly unacceptable,” she asserted.

Like Ms Grahame, she acknowledged that housing associations were facing financial pressures, but she added: “It is incumbent on management to work with staff to find a way forward. It is to the workers credit that they are conducting their action in a way which minimises disruption to tenants. I hope SBHA will revisit the concerns of workers and find a solution which is favourable to both sides.” Responding yesterday, Alan Vass, SBHA’s technical services director, told the Border Telegraph: “We would welcome the opportunity to meet with both Christine Grahame and Claudia Beamish to present SBHAs reasoning’s behind the proposed change to the working arrangements, to ensure they have a balanced view on the current situation.  We will be contacting them to arrange this meeting as a matter of urgency. We are sure they will appreciate understanding the SBHA position and the need for these changes.  “The business reasons for change have been well communicated to all SBHA staff throughout the negotiation process, and as stated previously, the negotiation process is closed and a full review [if the maintenance division] will be undertaken.” “This allows SBHA to provide an improved and efficient service for our tenants, to ensure a steady financial position to allow SBHA to undertake further growth opportunities which in turn provides more job security for all of our staff.”