AN EAST Lothian day centre has been left in crisis after the management committee quit over a row with staff.

Workers at John Bellany Day Centre, in Cockenzie and Port Seton, are understood to have been unhappy about some of the tasks they were being asked to do and decisions being made by bosses.

However, when they brought up the issue with their union, the management committee resigned, leaving East Lothian Council to find new volunteers to take over the running of the village day centre.

It is understood that staff working at the day centre, which provides day care for about 64 elderly and frail people in the Cockenzie, Port Seton, and Longniddry area, have been ordered to sign confidentiality agreements to stop them discussing the issues which led to the resignations.

East Lothian Council said that the committee members had agreed to remain in their posts until the end of next month to give them time to find replacements.

The management committee at the centre were made up of volunteers from the local community and relevant industries.

They were responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre, planning activities and overseeing staffing.

The committee announced its plans to step down a fortnight ago as the council prepared to reveal its budget for the coming year.

Unison officials were scheduled to meet with staff over a series of concerns they had about working conditions at the centre last Tuesday, during a closed meeting.

Sources at the centre say staff had been unhappy at the hours they were being asked to work, shift patterns and pressures they were being put under not to complain.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “The management committee of the centre expressed some concerns about the administrative duties required of them, so the council has put in extra resources to support them.

“The committee members will remain in place until the end of March, which will allow for new members to be appointed and a smooth continuation of services at the day centre.”