Holyrood to close to public during PCS strike

A strike by civil servants means Holyrood will be closed to the public next week.

Members of the PCS union are taking part in industrial action on February 1, with workers at the Scottish Parliament among those expected to be involved in the walkout.

Holyrood bosses have announced that, as a result of the action, the building will be closed to all those who do not have a security pass.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) – which is responsible for the administration of the parliament – said it is “committed to ensuring that Parliamentary business can continue that day”.

MSPs will still sit in the main chamber, while committee meetings will take place on a hybrid basis, with some witnesses taking part virtually.

However, there will be no access to the public galleries, tours of the building will not take place on the day and the public cafe will be closed.

Access arrangements will return to normal on February 2.

The SPCB stressed that it “respects the right of union member staff to act where they feel strongly about the issues that affect them” and also said it “recognises the vote for industrial action is often used as a last resort”.

It added: “Pay and job security are matters which are under the SPCB’s control. SPCB staff were awarded a pay increase of 4.5% for this financial year.

“A guarantee of no compulsory redundancy is in place until the end of March 2023. The SPCB is also looking to commence next year’s pay negotiations early to ensure there is no delay in finalising the pay award to its staff.”