Unite comes together with new Galashiels office

Unite the Union officially opened its new branch office in High Street, Galashiels on Friday … more than 20 years after it was forced to close its last one due to the demise of the Viasystems factories in Galashiels and Selkirk.
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Rab Fraser, the chairman of the Edinburgh and Borders Branch, said the door was open for anyone who needed advice on workplace matters, whether they were union members or not.

He said: “The branch has decided to open this office up again to help anyone who needs assistance, not just members.

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"Hopefully we may get a member out of it, and we’ll see how it goes from there."

From left: Rab Fraser, branch chairman; Mary Alexander, deputy regional secretary; Julie Malley, branch secretary; and Eck Barclay, committee member, at the opening of the new Galashiels office.From left: Rab Fraser, branch chairman; Mary Alexander, deputy regional secretary; Julie Malley, branch secretary; and Eck Barclay, committee member, at the opening of the new Galashiels office.
From left: Rab Fraser, branch chairman; Mary Alexander, deputy regional secretary; Julie Malley, branch secretary; and Eck Barclay, committee member, at the opening of the new Galashiels office.

Rab said there were 4,660 members in the branch.

He said: “We look after anyone which does not have a workplace union, whether they be bin men, lorry drivers, or working in manufacturing or retail.

"Having the office open again is fantastic … it’s so much better speaking to people in person, face to face, rather than over the phone.

"You can better understand them and their situation … and this is a place they can come to get help.

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"We are coming into a bad time right now, and people do need help.”

The opening was attended by Mary Alexander, the union’s deputy regional secretary, who said: “A lot of people are facing a cost-of-living crisis right now, and there are a lot of poverty and inequality and a lot of problems in the workplace and people in financial difficulty.

"What we are trying to do is build that community power and trade union power by having this office here so people can link in to our activities.

“For instance, we had a march last week in Edinburgh to show our opposition to what the politicians are doing in terms of the cost of living crisis and we hope to do more on that work here with a presence in the Borders.”

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Of the closure of the last office in the town’s Overhaugh Street – which was run by Unite’s predecessor the Transport and General Workers Union – committee member Eck Barclay said: “At the time the agreement was that if membership in a district dipped below 5,000, they would lose the office.

"And when Viasystems closed in Galashiels and Selkirk, we lost over 1,000 members overnight.”