Lloyds to close North-East office as 1,000 jobs go (From The Northern Echo)

Lloyds to close North-East office as 1,000 jobs go

12:42pm Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Tyne and Wear News

LLOYDS Banking Group is to axe almost 1,000 jobs and close three offices, including one in the North-East, in a devastating blow to workers, one of the staff unions said today.

Accord said sites in Romford, Newcastle upon Tyne and Scunthorpe will close, with the loss of almost 1,000 posts.

The union said more than 30,000 jobs had now been lost over the past three years at Lloyds, which is 40.2 per cent owned by the taxpayer.

Accord general secretary Ged Nichols said: "Today's confirmation that Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) is to shed nearly 1,000 more jobs on top of the 30,000 that have been lost since the Halifax Bank of Scotland Group was taken over just three years ago is devastating news for the employees who will be affected and the communities in which they live.

"Newcastle, Romford and Scunthorpe are areas that cannot afford to lose the high-quality jobs that will go as a result of today's announcement.

"Whilst Accord has informed LBG that it must do everything possible to avoid compulsory redundancies and work with us to provide support and guidance to those affected, the truth is that even those who volunteer to go will find it difficult to find alternative employment in these difficult economic times."

Lloyds confirmed that 990 jobs are being axed as part of its previously announced strategic review.

A statement said: "The roles will come from within group operations, group executive functions, risk, wholesale and insurance divisions.

"Lloyds Banking Group is committed to working through these changes with employees in a careful and sensitive way.

"The group's policy is always to use natural turnover and to redeploy people wherever possible to retain their expertise and knowledge within the group.

"Where it is necessary for employees to leave the company, it will look to achieve this by offering voluntary redundancy.

"Compulsory redundancies will always be a last resort.

"In fact, during 2009, 2010 and 2011, slightly less than 50 per cent of the role reductions made as part of integration have led to people leaving the group through redundancy.

"There are 990 role reductions from today's announcement."