Council / Skeld closure led to spike in council staff seeking redeployment
THE MOTHBALLING of Skeld Primary School resulted in a large spike in the number of council employees seeking redeployment to another department.
Sixteen staff were placed on the redeployment register in the 2024/25 financial year – double the number of staff who joined the register the year before.
The register attempts to find new work for Shetland Islands Council staff in other departments, with employees placed on the register for anywhere between four and 12 weeks.
A serious breakdown in working relationships, health, organisational change and disciplinary penalties are among the reasons why staff are moved in the council.
They may also be moved if a formal capability hearing finds they are unable to do their current role, or if a move would help them to maximise their attendance.
Employees placed on the register are offered the first opportunity to apply for jobs in the council, before they are advertised to the public.
Less than five people joined the register in 2020/21, 21/22 and 22/23, with the SIC not providing exact figures due to the low numbers.
However that jumped up to eight people in 2023/24, with five of those employees successfully redeployed to a new department.
And in 2024/25 the number of redeployees doubled to 16 – with less than half, seven, finding new jobs.
The figures were obtained through a freedom of information (FoI) request from Shetland News.
HR policy and employment support team leader Marie Gordon said the decision to mothball the Skeld school in April 2024 meant a “good group of folk” were placed on the register last year.
“For a couple of years there we had really low numbers going on the register,” she said.
“So a group like that is going to make a big difference to the numbers.”
Redeployments would have followed similar patterns in years gone by, Gordon said, such as when the Scalloway Secondary School was closed in the early 2010s.
However employees tended to be placed on the register on an individual basis more often, she said.
“If somebody’s health condition means they canna do that kinda work that they’re doing anymore, we try and see if there’s anything they can go and do instead.
“Sometimes though it might be quite narrow what they are able to do.
“What we also get is the rural aspect of it. When the Uyeasound Primary School closed then we had staff to redeploy, but there probably wirna that many jobs in Unst at that time.”
Employees also may have to be moved when their relationship with another worker or manager has become “irrevocably damaged” and attempts at reconciliation have failed, the council’s redeployment policy says.
It said decisions on redeployment are made to “ensure that the efficiency of the services provided by the council is maintained”.
The length of an employee’s service can also play a part in how long they stay on the register. If they have less than two years continuous service, they will not be placed on the register.
Others can be on the register for up to three months as they search for a new job.
If a redundancy notice has been served on them and they do not find anything else, they will be made redundant.
However if something does come up, Gordon said they will start a trial period with their new department – lasting anywhere from four weeks to six months.
The council’s redeployment policy was last updated 10 years ago – being approved in April 2015 – and Gordon admitted that it was time that the council revisited it.
“We’ll have to look at it again,” she said.
“I think that is something we’ll have to look at.”
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