News - Union claims Abbey jobs at risk
| Originaly from: News - Union claims Abbey jobs at risk The Abbey bank is to close its Scottish Provident offices in Edinburgh, putting 730 jobs at risk, a union has claimed. Amicus officials said last ditch talks held in London had failed to reach any agreement. Abbey, formerly Abbey National, declined to comment on the claims by workers’ leaders. A spokeswoman confirmed that talks with Amicus had been held but said it was company policy to tell staff of any business decisions first. A meeting of all Scottish Provident staff is to take place on Wednesday.
Last week a document was leaked to the media detailing “Project Sapphire”. It was said to show plans by the company to run down, over the next few months, the life office operations in Edinburgh that Abbey acquired with Scottish Provident in 2001. Up to 730 customer service jobs are said to under threat as part of the project if the work of these employees is transferred to existing Abbey staff in Glasgow. Amicus said that while some Edinburgh staff may be able to move to Abbey’s insurance operations in Glasgow, the majority of employees in the capital would lose their jobs.
Speaking after the talks in London, Amicus regional officer Hugh Scullion said: “CEO Luqman Arnold claimed last year he would turn banking on its head. Uncertainty ‘unsettling’
“Abbey is turning their employees on their head by destroying their Abbey said it was “reviewing a number of its businesses”. A spokesperson said: “We are conscious that uncertainty can be unsettling for our employees and that is why when we make any decisions about an area or aspect of our business, we tell our employees first before we communicate to the outside world.”
It was also reported that Abbey was planning to withdraw its fund management arm from Glasgow. The Herald newspaper said it had seen evidence suggesting that plans were well advanced to move its 28bn operation to US giant State Street. The company also declined to comment on the reports, which affect 170 jobs. If confirmed, it would be a major blow to Glasgow’s ambitions of luring big name firms to its new international financial services district. The zone - dubbed the city’s “square kilometre” - was launched at the London Stock Exchange last year. More than two million square feet of office space will be developed as part of the 600m project, which aims to attract 20,000 jobs over a 10-year period. Action plan BBC Scotland business correspondent Waseem Zakir said it would be “a big dent” to Glasgow’s reputation as a serious financial trader if Abbey National Asset Management (ANAM) left the city. The Herald said it had received a leaked document which contained an action plan for “Project Indigo”. The newspaper said this included a plan for the week leading up to the automobile finance insurance of the move, which sources said was planned for 22 January. About a third of the 173 people employed by ANAM are well-paid fund managers. Financial sector The Scottish National Party said any move away from Glasgow would be “a body blow” for the city’s financial sector. SNP enterprise spokesman Jim Mather said: “The financial sector has been the jewel in Scotland’s economic crown. “Yet we can now see that even this sector, the key sector that has kept the Scottish economy afloat in recent years, is facing dark times. “We desperately need the power to give Scottish firms a greensboro health financial loss insurance edge and give Scottish jobs long-term security.”
|
