Union condemns ‘irresponsible’ RBS
TRADE union Unite has condemned what it calls the “irresponsible leaking” of job loses at the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Reports yesterday said that more than 20,000 of the company’s estimated 170,000 global workforce could lose their jobs.
It is understood that North West Regional Development Agency bosses are concerned about the impact on the region and have established a dialogue with RBS bosses in the region. The bank employs more than 10,000 people in the North West – around half of whom are based at its hub in Manchester.
Unite stressed that a scheduled meeting with the workers’ representatives today was the appropriate arena in which to discuss restructuring plans, saying it was very distressing for workers in the UK and elsewhere learn their fate via the media.
Rob MacGregor, Unite’s national officer for the finance sector, said: “This is already an extremely worrying time for finance workers so it is distressing for those at RBS to hear rumours of more job losses like this. We expect a company like RBS to conduct itself more responsibly.”
He added that Unite’s team in RBS will be making it clear to management that it will be “vigorously opposing” any compulsory redundancies and any attempt to outsource UK jobs.
RBS, which is now 70% owned by the government, has already announced 2,300 back office job cuts in the UK, but these are in advance and separate from the strategic review.
The bank’s new chief executive Stephen Hester will announce the job cuts, along with its results, this Thursday. The company is expected to post the biggest ever loss in British corporate history, at around £28bn.
It will also unveil a £1bn restructuring of its operations, and is expected to create a non-core subsidiary, where it can dump £300bn of unwanted assets.
