AN unearthed Scottish Labour tweet shows a “betrayal” of HMRC Cumbernauld workers by Better Together campaign, the Scottish Greens have said.
The tax collecting department has had a presence in Cumbernauld for four decades, but it was announced last year that the building will be closing in the next few months.
During the 2014 independence campaign, then Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy and now leader Anas Sarwar were pictured outside the department claiming that voting No would keep workers’ jobs safe.
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It is understood that some HMRC staff are taking voluntary redundancy, while others will relocate to Glasgow city centre. More than 30 are understood to be losing their jobs. Central Scotland Green MSP Gillian Mackay called for Labour to apologise as the closure will represent a “huge blow” to the local economy, while the SNP said it was an example of another “unravelling promise” from the No campaign.
Scottish Labour declined to apologise and claimed that the workers would have lost their jobs “years ago” if Scotland had been independent.
Anas Sarwar and Jim Murphy were pictured at the site in 2014 claiming that voting No would keep jobs safe
Murphy and Sarwar were pictured outside of the Cumbernauld office with what appear to be staff members holding placards which spell out “1400 UK jobs”.
They also have a cardboard cut-out of now justice secretary Keith Brown with a speech bubble that says: “A positive reason for independence … a deduction of the number of civil servants in Scotland.”
The tweet from August 2014 reads: “1400 jobs at HMRC in Cumbernauld are dependent on us staying in the UK.#indyref #LabourNo.”
Mackay said: “Labour and the Tories worked hand in hand in the Better Together campaign, and they have worked hand in hand to betray the staff at HMRC in Cumbernauld.
“Senior Labour figures promised tax office workers their jobs would be safe if they voted No, they even posed for photos outside, yet the site is now due to close for good.
“The closure of the tax office, which has been a significant employer in the town for more than 40 years, represents a huge blow for the local economy and will undoubtedly have a significant knock-on impact on many local businesses.
“Anas Sarwar and his colleagues should, at the very least, apologise for misleading the people of Cumbernauld.”
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An SNP spokesperson added: “It’s no wonder the people of Scotland don’t believe a word the Unionist parties say anymore – who can blame them?
“As all the promises of the No campaign unravel, it is clearer and clearer why it so important Scotland has the choice to forge a different, better path with independence.”
Scottish Labour said they were at the centre of a campaign against the closure, working with trade unions.
A spokesperson said: “We are aware a small number of staff have decided to take voluntary redundancy, while other staff are working from home or a Glasgow site. It is pathetic for the Greens to use these jobs as a political football. They they have done nothing to help workers secure their incomes while making smug comments from the sidelines.”
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