Barclays job cuts 2020 : Over 1,000 employees to lose jobs across the UK

Barclays job cuts 2020 : More than 1,000 employees are set to lose their jobs at British banking giant Barclays with a major processing center in Leeds to take most of the brunt owing to its permanent closure.

Unite the Union revealed that a total of about 1,145 people will lose their jobs across the UK  following the latest move from the British investment bank.

At the Barclays processing center in Leeds, about 800 jobs will go with the Millshaw Court office to close its shutters permanently by the end of 2020. The British banking group said that the landlord of the building in question wants to redevelop it, which influenced its decision.

According to Unite the Union, the lease of the Millshaw Court office is to end in 2021. The trade union claimed that it had been urging Barclays to redeploy employees at the impacted location to an alternative office rather than laying off hundreds of experienced professionals.

Unite the Union said that at more than 20 other locations, Barclays will be slashing 345 jobs.

Unite the Union national officer on the Barclays job cuts 2020

Commenting on the Barclays job cuts 2020, Dominic Hook – Unite the Union national officer 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.”

Dominic Hook added: “Unite is from today supporting our members across the country as they absorb the news that Barclays is closing its site in Leeds and making major job cuts in Coventry as well as many other key workplaces.

“This is clearly a time of immense uncertainty and worry for the workforce. The union is working with Barclays to put into place every possible remedy to support the staff in finding suitable alternative employment and offering advice and support to assist colleagues, including redeployment wherever possible.”

Barclays job cuts 2020 : More than 1,000 employees to lose jobs across the UK. Photo courtesy of Secretlondon/Wikipedia.org.

In what is slightly good news, nearly 70 affected staff at the Leeds processing center will be provided with redeployment opportunities by Barclays elsewhere in the city.

After Leeds, Coventry is the most affected location for the latest Barclays job cuts with about 157 people set to lose their jobs. The Barclays Coventry is said to have already gone through a huge number of redundancies in the recent times, said Unite the Union. The British trade union claimed that approximately 15 of the jobs at Coventry will be shifted to India, while 20 people will work from home.

An official statement on the Barclays job cuts 2020 by the bank reads: “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.”