Trade union Prospect has signed a voluntary recognition agreement with the John Muir Trust to represent its employees in collective bargaining, the Scotland-based conservation charity has announced.
The agreement comes as the Scottish charity regulator OSCR engages with the trust, which reported a “serious funding shortfall” in March and told its staff that more than a quarter of jobs were at risk.
John Muir Trust also recently faced allegations from a former employee about the charity’s “plummeting” staff morale and its CEO David Balharry’s “abrasive and divisive” management style.
Balharry was exonerated in November 2023 following an independent investigation into unspecified allegations of misconduct. He had been suspended and placed on leave for five months last year while the investigation took place.
An OSCR spokesperson said today: “We have received concerns about the John Muir Trust, and we are still in the process of engaging with the charity to better understand what action they’ve taken to address these issues.”
Prospect and the John Muir Trust, which protects Highland landscapes like Ben Nevis, signed the agreement on 27 September at East Schiehallion, a mountain in Perthshire protected by the charity.
Agreement represents ‘new chapter’
The new agreement is designed to “support a modern inclusive workplace culture”, according to the trust, and commits Prospect and the John Muir Trust to collaborate to achieve mutual goals.
Prospect negotiations officer Angela Gannon, who signed the agreement with Balharry, said: “This recognition agreement represents a new chapter in the relationship between the John Muir Trust and its employees.
“Prospect has a wealth of experience representing members in the sector and we look forward to working together to better protect the wild areas we all cherish.”
Prospect’s heritage sector already represents thousands of other members across natural heritage organisations, as well as museums and galleries.
Overall, the trade union has more than 157,000 members across various other UK industries, including science, engineering, tech and the arts.
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