Job cuts at Co-op Travel and Aviva

Around 300 jobs are set to be axed at Co-operative Travel following its merger with Thomas Cook.

The cuts are expected to be shared across bases in Manchester and the Midlands. The company said that it has already begun consultation with its workforce over the cuts.

Meanwhile, insurance giant Aviva has announced that it is to close its Life sales office in Manchester as part of a restructuring that will lead to 1,200 job losses.

The bulk of these – 980 – will be in the Republic of Ireland, but 220 jobs will go at Aviva offices in Manchester, Leicester, Norwich and Southampton. A 90-day consultation process has begun.

Workers’ union Unite has criticsed the move. Regional officer Daryl Williams said: “While the company is continuing to deliver positive results, it is unacceptable that the very workers delivering these results are being axed.”