Lanarkshire MSP, Graham Simpson, used a member’s business debate in the Scottish Parliament to call on OVO Energy to rethink its decision to close their office in Cumbernauld – putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
Mr Simpson’s call follows the announcement by OVO Energy in January 2022 that they are seeking 1,700 voluntary redundancies and closing a number of offices including in Perth, Dunfermline and Cumbernauld.
The company, which employs 6,200 workers across the UK, had promised that there would be no redundancies when it acquired SSE’s retail arm back in January 2020. However, they intend to reduce their number of offices from 10 to 3 and will instead open an ‘OVO Academy’ in Glasgow.
He and other members from across the chamber argued that the actions taken by OVO have been completely inappropriate – with some staff reporting that they were warned by the company not to speak to anyone about the issue.
With up to 600 jobs under threat at Cumbernauld, Mr Simpson has demanded that OVO rethink their decision to make cut-backs.
Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland said: “It’s a very worrying time for OVO staff in Cumbernauld and other offices. I have spoken to some and it is clear that for some there are real difficulties in moving their job to Glasgow.
“The debate in parliament highlighted a number of points. One of the important ones was that moving an online/app-based service does not serve customers well.
“It is easy for big companies like OVO to forget that they are only as good as their staff. They need to look after them, so I would urge them to think again.”
