A SEVEN-strong special commission is to be set up to examine the internal strife which has engulfed the Church of Scotland's board of communication.

In an unprecedented move, 29 of the board's 30 staff brought a petition to the General Assembly yesterday, calling for examination of their deep concerns within the department.

Those who signed are employed in key board areas including the press office, broadcasting arm Pathway Productions, Life and Work magazine, and the Saint Andrew Press. In the petition, they accuse the board of running a ''callous and destructive regime'' which had flagrantly disregarded the will of the General Assembly.

The row surfaced last autumn over proposals by the acting board convener, the Rev David Macleod, and his director Mr Brian McGlynn, to merge departments with the loss of a third of the jobs. Staff claimed this would have closed most departments or rendered them unworkable.

Their case, calling for the establishment of a special commission, was to have been presented by the director of Pathway Productions, Mr Laurence Wareing, and the publishing manager of Saint Andrew Press, Ms Lesley Taylor.

The Rev John Cairns, of Dumbarton, called on the Assembly to accept the petition and appoint the commission without further debate. He also sought to reject calls by staff for the commission to appoint interim management measures, where appropriate, in resolving the situation.

Outlining the reasons behind the move, Mr Cairns said: ''None of these matters seem to me to be appropriate or correct for dealing within the somewhat intimidating and inhibiting surroundings of the General Assembly, with almost 1000 commissioners.'' He also called on the Assembly to withdraw the staff's call for the commission to report back next year.

He was supported by former Moderator, the Very Rev Hugh Wyllie, of Hamilton, who suggested the services of employment mediator Acas could be engaged to resolve the bitter divisions within the department.

However, the petitioners argued they would be unhappy with the move. The situation was resolved by industrial chaplain, the Rev Erik Cramb, who successfully called on the church to establish the commission, allowing it to retain the power to introduce interim management structures if required.

Earlier, the board's acting convener had denied the departmental review proposals had been ''insensitive'' to staff.

The Rev David Macleod said: ''I say, in all sincerity, that the board does not have, and never has had, any wish to undermine any member of staff.''