COUNCIL workers who faced losing wages during the red weather warning have been told they will be paid after the local authority faced a furious backlash from staff and unions.

East Lothian Council advised staff that they should make their way to work or their nearest workplace if it was “safe to do so” during the ‘Beast from the East’ snow storm at the start of the month, even after the Met Office had issued a red ‘take action’ warning, the most serious possible, indicating a ‘likely’ risk to life.

Many workers were stunned to be told that, while police were warning people to stay at home, the council was continuing with its established adverse weather policy and advising them they would have to take time in lieu or unpaid leave to cover the time they were unable to work during the crisis.

While other local authorities, such as City of Edinburgh Council, took to social media to assure staff they would be paid if they were unable to work during the Wednesday and Thursday of the red weather warning, East Lothian Council repeated its advice that workers should report to work if it was “safe to do so”, or attend the nearest council office or suitable premises, or work from home or other suitable locations.

If they were unable to do any of these options, they were told to use annual leave or time due to cover their absence.

Those without available leave were told they would be given three months to make up the unpaid leave taken.

The Courier was inundated with angry comments from workers who felt they were being pressured into attending work in direct conflict with advice from the police and Scottish Ministers.

One teacher told us: “This is asking teachers to go into an empty building during a Red Met office warning, when Scottish Government, Police Scotland and all other media are saying not to travel because of serious risk to life. Lots of teachers are very concerned about their personal safety, insurance risks and childcare as wages are docked if teachers can’t report for work because of bad weather.”

Another council employee claimed “non-critical” staff were being asked to go into offices where they had no work to do. She said: “The council is making non-critical care staff risk lives to sit in office with nothing to do.”

A joint consultative group meeting of councillors with union representatives last week heard strong concerns from staff about the council’s approach.

At a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Tuesday, a motion to override the current weather policy was approved.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, depute council leader, said the adverse weather policy had been adopted before the colour-coded weather warnings had been introduced and the red alert had been unprecedented in the county.

He said: “We are reviewing the current policy and, in the meantime, are moving an amendment that an exception is made to it during the red weather alert period to allow staff who were unable to attend work to be paid.”

Mr Hampshire said individual staff members would be allowed to make a case for paid absence during the Friday when the alert was at the lower level of amber if they had still been unable to attend.