Calls for clarity over Npower job losses

The German-owned company said it will make “extensive cost savings” to help turn around the “significant” losses and return the company to profitability.

The job losses, over the next two years, will be spread across its sites and amount to just under 21 per cent of its workforce.

Unions described the job losses as a “devastating blow”, blaming the company’s woes on. The firm said its 11,500 employees will be reduced by 2,400, through a mix of those who work directly and indirectly for Npower.

The firm confirmed that Scarcroft, where a large number of telesales and smart metering programme staff are based, will close when its lease is up in 2018, with staff offered the opportunity to relocate to Limewood. Some 670 are employed at its long-term base in Scarcroft and another 557 at Limewood. It is understood the job losses will impact more on indirectly employed staff.

A spokesman said: “Yorkshire, the North East and the Midlands will still be three hubs and will still be our heartlands where we base our employees. In two years time that will still be the case.”

GMB national officer Eamon O’Hearn said: “Our members particularly those in customer-facing roles have been instrumental in helping the company turn round the retail business and we believe they serve to know the full picture as soon as possible.” Paul Coffey, chief executive of RWE Npower, said: “Npower results continue the trend seen earlier in 2015, but they are nonetheless extremely disappointing.”

He insisted the job losses will “protect the thousands of jobs that will remain”.