DOZENS of staff afraid of losing their jobs just before Christmas are to protest outside a city university.

Around 70 staff employed by Cordia, an arms length Glasgow City Council firm, will gather outside Glasgow Caledonian University next week.

The employees work at the university’s cafes and coffee stands. 
As reported by the Evening Times, Cordia lost the catering contract for the university in October and staff were uncertain if they would stay with the new firm, or be transferred to Cordia’s displaced list.

Staff are afraid they will not be employed after December 15, when the university closes for Christmas.

One employee, who has worked at the university for almost a decade, said: “We are all stressed, we feel ill and don’t know what is going on.

“ There are families who work there, so more than one wage will be lost in some homes if we lose our jobs. Cordia haven’t given us any notice to say we are being made redundant, and we don’t know what is happening.

“We’re all just sick of this. I have children, others have kids and a mortgage. How will we cope?” 

A petition launched online by trade union GMB in support of the staff has gathered almost 1000 signatures in 24 hours.

It reads: “On behalf of Cordia staff employed at Glasgow Caledonian University, the undersigned urge Glasgow Caledonian University and Cordia Services to resolve disagreements before December 15.

“On December 15, unless GCU and Cordia come to agreement, staff will be left with no jobs, and  uncertain of their future.”

A union spokeswoman said if an agreement is not reached by December 15, they will be forced to involve an employment tribunal and ACAS, which could cost the losing side in excess of £1m. 

A Cordia spokesman said: “TUPE regulations state clearly that they apply when a new contractor takes over activities from another contractor. 

“We are working tirelessly to ensure that our staff has a future at Caledonian and the opportunity to work with the new caterer, continuing the excellent service they have provided for the last 16 years.”

Glasgow Caledonian University said their £32m refurbishment of campus facilities has brought “fresh opportunities”for catering options from a range of providers rather than a single firm.

GCU added that it had given Cordia “sufficient opportunity to allow them to manage the implications for their own workforce.” following notification that they would no longer be providing catering.