Financial services company Barclays has announced a major staff shakeup that will affect over 1,000 workers, which included plans to close down a site in Leeds.
Barclays will be conducting a major staff shakeup, including plans to shut down the Leeds site by the end of the year. The closure will affect 800 workers, 200 of whom will be outright while an additional 90 contractors will also lose their jobs.
Most of the job cuts at the Leeds processing center are expected to come from technology, operations teams and some customer service staff. Of the remaining 510 workers, 270 will be transferred to Manchester and Sunderland.
The firm has offered financial support for the relocation but did not specify how much it is offering to staff who may be asked to move their families up to 90 miles away.
Meanwhile, another 100 people affected by the Leeds closure are being given the option to work from home or at other Barclays locations in the area. Plans for the remaining 140 staff have not been confirmed.
Trade union Unite criticized Barclays for its decision to shut down the Leeds site, which has been attributed the landlord’s plans to sell the site to housing developers.
Dominic Hook, a national officer for Unite, said: "The sheer scale of the job cuts announced today by Barclays is alarming. The decision to close the major Barclays site in Leeds will be devastating for the workforce and the local community."
"Unite has argued for some time that the bank has a social responsibility not to walk away from its committed workforce in Leeds. Today is indeed a dark day for nearly 800 people who have worked relentlessly to deliver the highest customer service for Barclays customers," Hook added.
A Barclays spokesman said: "In order to drive collaboration, Barclays is moving teams closer together at our UK sites in Glasgow, Greater Manchester and Northampton; where we are investing in new campuses and office space."
"This will enable us to innovate at pace for the customers and clients we serve. We will do everything we can to support colleagues impacted by the changes announced today, working closely with Unite," the spokesman continued.
