Civil servants protest outside Scottish Government building after 'shock' closure of on-site nursery

A group of staff and their children protested outside the Victoria Quay building in Leith on Tuesday morning following an announcement last month that the on-site nursery, which has existed for over 20 years, is to shut down in October.

The Scottish Government said the decision to close the nursery was taken after an unsuccessful retendering process.

But PCS, the civil service union, said the decision was made without consultation with parents and the closure is forcing some to consider reducing their hours, or leaving their jobs altogether.

The nursery accommodates 30 children and is run by North Edinburgh Childcare, which has a procurement contract with the Scottish Government.

PCS said that over ten nursery staff, a kitchen assistant and a modern apprentice have been told they are facing redundancy as a result of the Victoria Quay closure.

Brodie Wilson, chair of PCS’s Leith branch, said there had been no meaningful engagement or support for parents despite attempts to raise the matter internally, including with the permanent secretary.

Pippa Stone, a mum of three who works for Social Security Scotland, said she was “heartbroken” by the decision.

“It was a massive shock. I was aghast that it’s been seemingly coming for a while but we had no idea. And we’ve been given so little time to find something else as well. It’s been massively stressful for me and for my family.”

“I don’t really know how it’s going to work for us to be honest. We’ve got to get three kids to three different places in the morning, and I’ve still got to try and do my work because you’ve still got to pay for it.

“It’s a few years of uncertainty. It’s just a big unknown that I could really do without right now.”

Another employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said the nursery had been an “amazing support” for her family.

She has worked for the Scottish Government for ten years and said the childcare facilities on offer had been vital in helping her to balance her work and responsibilities as a mum.

“It feels like a kick in the teeth, especially because there’s such an emphasis on the Scottish Government as an inclusive employer,” she said.

Parents have been told spaces are available at the nursery’s Ferry Road branch, a three mile commute from the Victoria Quay building, but Ms Wilson said this option was impractical for many of the parents.

In June, FoI documents released by the Scottish Government revealed its plans to boost in-office attendance among staff, with officials told they should spend a minimum of 40 per cent of their working week in the office from October.

But Ms Wilson warned that increasing in-office attendance while cutting childcare provision for staff would disproportionately harm female employees, who bear the brunt of childcare responsibilities.

“It definitely feels contradictory to encourage people back to the office while at the same time closing the nursery down,” said one parent.

Research published this year by King's College London revealed that women are among the most resistant to return-to-office mandates, in part due to the lack of accessible and affordable childcare options.

Rob Whiteside, who has two children at the nursery, said his family found out about the closure just one week after his one-year-old had started there.

“We had a really nice week where she had gone along and it had gone well, and then at half seven on the Friday night we found out that it was closing which was just a big shock,” he said.

“It was the first that we had heard about any sort of issues around the nursery at all.”

He said parents have since found out there had been talks within the Scottish Government for over a year about the potential closure of the nursery.

“If this was any employer, a financial institution or a bus company, this would be a really bad way to treat your employees. But it’s the government and they’re meant to be doing better than that,” he continued.

“They have all these slogans about getting it right for every child yet they can’t even get it right for their employees' children.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “A recent tender exercise did not secure a provider to maintain nursery provision at Victoria Quay at the conclusion of the previous contract.

“We understand the impact the closure will have on families using the service and are working closely with the nursery, NECEL, to ensure every family is supported, including offering alternative places for all children at their sister nursery.

“We have worked with NECEL to have in place nursery provision on a temporary basis until October 10 to allow additional time for families to source alternative childcare, and for the nursery staff who are affected to find alternative employment.”

Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, recently spoke out about her experience of working in politics as a parent, and said childcare issues are contributing to women leaving the sphere.

She described the lack of dedicated nursery provision at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh as a “long-standing” frustration.

“If you can’t keep hold of your mums in politics, then I think you lose a really strong voice for all the other mums out there who are struggling with childcare,” she said.

North Edinburgh Childcare was approached for comment.