As Scotland gets ready to vote on independence from the United Kingdom on Thursday, a feeling of uncertainty prevails among nearly half of the Department for International Development’s 1,280 civil servants working from its premises in East Kilbride, near Glasgow.
That includes entire agency departments as well as some major policy functions, including U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s much-trumpeted global initiative on nutrition. At least a dozen senior DfID positions are based in East Kilbride, but should Scotland vote “Yes” and break away from the U.K., all those jobs will have to move elsewhere.
But would affected government employees be relocated to London or another U.K. city? And would they be laid off or potentially rehired by a new Scottish aid agency?
About the author
Anna Patton
Anna Patton is a freelance journalist and media facilitator specializing in global development and social enterprise. Currently based in London, she previously worked with development NGOs and EU/government institutions in Berlin, Brussels and Dar es Salaam as well as in the U.K., and has led media projects with grass-roots communities in Uganda and Kenya. Anna has an master’s degree in European studies — specializing in EU development policy — and is a fellow of the On Purpose social enterprise program.