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RBS: Hundreds of bank jobs to go in Leeds, Harrogate and Bradford UPDATED
The Royal Bank of Scotland is shedding 280 jobs at its Leeds centre by the end of this year.
And over 500 jobs will be phased out in Harrogate in 2011-2. A centre in Bradford will also close next year.
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The shock cuts are part of the 3,500 jobs which the bank plans to axe across the UK.
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Leeds staff are employed at Victoria Place and Harrogate workers are based at Beckwith Knowle, Otley Road. An RBS spokeswoman said they did "back office" operations processing credit cards, debt management and recovery.
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Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central, said: "This is devastating news and, with the Government threatening big cuts in spending, it would be disastrous if the economy was pushed back into recession by the wrong decisions.
"This is a particularly bitter pill to swallow as only a few days ago an RBS spokesman said it would be 'business as usual' for the company's staff in Yorkshire. I think RBS owes its workers in Leeds an
explanation."
A spokeswoman for RBS said: "We will do all we can to support our staff, offer redeployment opportunities wherever possible and keep compulsory redundancies to an absolute minimum.
"Having to cut jobs is the most difficult part of our work to rebuild RBS and repay taxpayers for their support. We continue to make efficiencies across our business and adjust our plans in line with the divestments we have been required to make by the EU."
The bank has been told by the European Commission to reduce the number of branches,
The trade union Unite has described the cuts as a "horror story."
"The scale of them beggars belief," said national officer Rob MacGregor, "And staff across the country today will be left reeling. It is a bitter pill to swallow."
RBS reported a loss of 24.1bn for 2008, the largest in UK corporate history. But it has since returned to profit and in the first half of 2010 made 1.14bn.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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