Glasgow Lighthouse Lab: 745 Covid test jobs face axe, Unite warns

Unite has warned as many as 745 jobs at the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab – which processes Covid tests – could be lost as Glasgow University was “forced” to enter into redundancy talks with the workforce.

The union has demanded the Government take urgent action to save the highly-skilled jobs at the site.

The Scottish Government has said the responsibility to extend the contract lies with the UK Health and Security Agency and has expressed “disappointment" it has not done so.

READ MORE: ‘Urgent action’ needed to help record number of Scots with long Covid

Scottish Ministers have faced criticism from Unite. The trade union said there had been “no commitment from the Scottish Government to extend the funding or redeploy this critically important workforce”.

Unite also claims there was an eleventh-hour agreement struck between Glasgow University, where the lab is based, and the UK health authorities to safeguard jobs until September 2022.

This has been “reneged upon”, union chiefs claim.

They warn closing the lab at a time when Covid infections remain rife is “bewildering and dangerous”.

Sharon Graham, Unite's general secretary, said: “The Glasgow Lighthouse Lab workforce is at the heart of protecting public health in Scotland and at a time when Covid rates continue to run high, it is a disgrace that hundreds of highly skilled jobs, knowledge and experience is potentially going to be lost. 

“Unite is determined to protect our members and will explore every option, including legal ones, to fully defend their jobs, pay and conditions.” 

Unite said there is work to retain around 120 jobs from the lab but these will be in a “resilience” testing team or work for the Office of National Statistics.

Alison Maclean, a Unite industrial officer, added: “There has been no commitment from the Scottish Government to extend the funding or redeploy this critically important workforce. Covid numbers, hospitalisation and deaths have increased in Scotland, and notwithstanding the future impact of Covid variants, this grave uncertainty for 745 workers is bewildering and dangerous.

READ MORE: Covid in Scotland: 33 deaths and nearly 7000 cases reported on April 7

“Unite is demanding that the Scottish Government urgently review the decision to wind down testing in the interests of public health, and immediately move to ensure that the skilled workforce at the Lighthouse Lab are supported.” 

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are in close contact with the University and are aware of its consultation with staff and trade unions on potential job losses relating to the cessation of UK Government-held testing contracts and are disappointed that the UK Health Security Agency has not been able to provide further clarity on future activity.

“The Scottish Government is working with the University to enable it to support all staff involved to find where necessary, alternative employment opportunities either with their existing employer or with another employer or sector.

“We are actively engaging with trade unions to ensure whatever approach is taken in future has the workforce at the heart of those discussions.”

A spokesperson for the UK Health Security Agency said: "Laboratory staff have played a critical role in managing Covid-19 by processing millions of tests and helping to save lives across the UK.

With free testing now focused on protecting specific groups, there will be a significant drop in laboratory demand. In response, UKHSA has consolidated the Lighthouse Laboratory network to deliver maximum efficiency and value for money. This has included reducing the capacity at the Glasgow laboratory effective from April 1 but discussions remain ongoing around the role that the laboratory will play as part of network resilience and contingency capacity.

“We would like to thank all the Glasgow Lighthouse Laboratory staff who have contributed to the remarkable achievements of the testing service throughout the pandemic.”