‘Northern poorhouse’ fears over energy job cuts

ENERGY giant Npower’s job cuts have led to fears over the creation of a ‘Northern poorhouse’.

672 jobs at the energy firm’s Scarcroft site in Leeds are being moved to Limewood, according to the BBC. The rest of the company’s 1,200 West Yorkshire jobs are unaffected thus far.

Unions have reacted angrily over the lack of information provided by Npower on the cuts.

GMB national officer Eamon O’Hearn, said: “RWE’s German workforce would not be treated in this manner, and it is fuelling concerns that this announcement was leaked to satisfy city traders without any thought for the impact on the morale of dedicated members.

“It is clear government policies are resulting in a Northern Poorhouse.”

Unison has called for a sit-down with Npower bosses, saying that yesterday’s poor results, which showed a £99m loss for the company.

Npower chief executive Paul Coffey called the results “extremely disappointing” and follow a £26m fine for poor and inaccurate billing processes by Ofgem.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Npower bosses are compounding the anxiety for staff by refusing to meet the unions nationally to discuss this so-called recovery plan, to talk about how to protect jobs and avoid compulsory redundancies.

“We’re calling for an emergency meeting so we can work jointly on finding a way out of the mess the company currently finds itself in.”