Union anger as Lloyds cuts another 500 jobs
Lloyds Banking Group has announced yet another round of job cuts with 510 jobs and an entire processing centre in Kent to be axed.
Lloyds: Job cut announcements have become an almost weekly occurrence.
The Accord union described the job cuts as 'devastating' and said every effort should be made to avoid compulsory redundancies. Lloyds had now cut almost 3,000 jobs this year.
A former Halifax processing centre near Chatham in Kent will close with the loss of 210 jobs, 30 jobs will be lost in London and a similar number in Birmingham, while the rest will be spread across the country, said the union.
Ged Nichols, general secretary of Accord, said: 'Today's announcement is further bad news for employees of Lloyds Banking Group's Retail Banking Division. Accord believes that LBG has a responsibility to work with us to do everything we can jointly to avoid compulsory redundancies.
'We believe that UK taxpayers will expect the bank to work in partnership with Accord and the other unions representing its employees to minimise unnecessary unemployment, particularly given the support that UK taxpayers have provided to the bank.'
Mr Nichols said the announcement was particularly bad news for the economy of the Medway towns, adding: 'These jobs are well-paid and provide good employment in an area of the country that is already suffering from above-average unemployment rates.
'Accord argued with LBG to try to preserve the operation, but, ultimately they decided to press on with closure.'
The Kent site will close by November, said the union.
Unite said it was opposed to the Kent closure, adding that Lloyds had now cut almost 3,000 jobs this year. National officer Rob MacGregor said: 'Unite is extremely disappointed that the Lloyds Banking Group is to cut a further 510 roles. These latest job losses are yet another example of the weekly hammering that the workforce of the bank is having to endure.
'We have already seen over 2,400 job losses announced by the bank since its formation in January.
'Unite has made it plain that the union will not accept a situation where the LBG makes weekly announcements of hundreds of job losses. Staff must be told the company's plans for the future of the organisation and not be left with the uncertainty that they could be the next to lose their jobs.'
Lloyds later confirmed the job losses and the office closure, saying the work would transfer to other retail sites across the UK. The other job cuts will hit staff in regulated sales, mortgages and network support and will take effect by the end of the year.
'Lloyds Banking Group is committed to working through these changes with colleagues carefully and sensitively. The unions were consulted before this announcement and will continue to be consulted throughout this process.
'The Group's preference is to use natural turnover and to redeploy people wherever possible so it retains their expertise and knowledge within the Group. Where it is necessary for colleagues to leave the company, it will look to achieve this by making less use of contractors and voluntary severance. Compulsory redundancies will be a last resort. A range of measures have been put in place to support colleagues through this uncertain time,' said a statement.
In the firing line: Unemployment advice
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