Graham Simpson MSP has called for redundant workers at Healthcare Environmental Services in Shotts to receive the wages due to them. A major priority is to ensure that the company’s clinical waste is disposed of promptly to ensure local people’s health is not put at risk.
Employees at the waste disposal firm, which is under criminal investigation, have been laid off after the company lost nearly 20 health service contracts. Staff at Healthcare Environmental Services (HES), based at Shotts in North Lanarkshire, and which employs 400 people UK-wide were made redundant. Workers had been waiting to receive wages for weeks, but have been left empty handed.
Graham Simpson said “I am deeply concerned for all of the workers who have been left in a desperate position by the company not paying their wages. The workers should not have been put in this position. They put in a fair day’s work and should receive a fair day’s pay.
“I have been in touch with Scottish Government Business Minister Jamie Hepburn and I hope the Scottish Government provides support to ensure staff are switched to new operators.
“The public will also be concerned about reports that the HES plant is "full of pallets of waste", some of which had been there for more than three weeks. Clinical waste will include hazardous materials such as needles, amputated body parts and radioactive isotope. There is a duty to ensure that clinical waste is disposed of properly, and that the health of workers and local people is not put risk.
“There have been calls for the Environment Agency to be flexible. What matters is that waste is disposed of properly. Scotland must maintain the highest environmental standards and we must not put people’s health at risk.”
I encourage any constituents affected to contact me.
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0131 348 6983
