David Wright MP demands meeting over Telford RBS job losses
Friday 3rd September 2010, 2:31PM BST.
TELFORD MP David Wright today demanded a meeting with Royal Bank of Scotland bosses after they announced up to 500 jobs are to go in the town.
Mr Wright branded the jobs axe shocking and “a real kick in the teeth”, not only for RBS staff but for the town as a whole.
The bank broke the news to workers yesterday that its Credit Management Services Office in Ironmasters Way, Telford Town Centre, would be one of 12 business service centres closed down over the next two years.
RBS, which is 83 per cent owned by the taxpayer, will also put a further three centres under review in plans to more than halve its administration centres in the UK with 3,500 staff being axed.
Mr Wright said: “This is a shocking announcement and my thoughts are with the employees of RBS and their families.
“The public stumped up the cash to save this bank and this is a kick in the teeth. I am now seeking a meeting with senior RBS management.
“If rumours RBS jobs are going abroad are true then it is a disgrace. The bank needs to stop spending millions on sports sponsorship and protect jobs in the UK.”
Unite national officer Rob MacGregor said the union was appalled the tax payer-supported firm had, since 2009 cut 21,500 staff.
Mr MacGregor said: “Three weeks ago staff were boosted to hear of the £1.1 billion half year profit yet today thousands of them are told they have no future at the bank.”
Councillor Eric Carter, Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This is extremely unhelpful in tough economic times — particularly when banks are supposed to be helping to spark the recovery.”
Nigel Meffen, of RBS West Midlands, said the bank’s Birmingham office remained open and some Telford staff would be offered a chance to relocate.
He said: “Telford office will close at some point over the next two years but staff will be given a 12-month notice period of the closure.
“It’s very important to us to let our people know what is happening first and there will be opportunities for some staff to move to other RBC centres.”
By Simon Hardy
UK News
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WELL DONE DAVID!!
Daivd has often taken a lead in these kind of matters!
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And just what is it you think David can do about the situation?
I have heard of RBS but I haven’t heard of David Wright.
Heather, I don’t remember you bleating when BT was privatised all those years ago and 120,000 staff lost their jobs.
Then thousands of miners and steel workers but thats OK until it lands on your own door step.
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I would have opposed BT being privatised and also the miners and steel works going, but as I’m only 23 I was not writing on websites all those years ago.
I assume you dont live in Telford, if you did I am sure you would of heard of David Wright, his a great local champ!
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I think you’ll find that some of the mines were on our doorstep, and the BT offices.
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There was no internet back in those days of “if you see sid” when the torys sold of gas/the GPO and electricty etc so th eonly way to bleat was to protest and then be called a left whinger.
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David demands? Has the Shropshire Star got this right?
Mr Kawcynski (aka “Demanding Dan”) wont like that… This county isn’t big enough for two parliamentary demanders.
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Its disgraceful that a bank which 83% owned by the taxpayer is showing this number of people the door, this on top of the 9,000 job losses annouced earlier this year.
Over 500 of the jobs being lost in this round are being exported oversea to the US, India & Far East, why can’t those jobs be done here in the UK.
We the Tax payer are not only picking up the tab for the bank, but also the payment of benefits etc to those who are to be sacked by RBS, a double whammy.
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Oh boo hoo, it was the banks/private sector that caused the recession so they can bloody well deal with the consequences.
And they aren’t the only ones having to deal with them-we all are!
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Sarah,
You’ve correctly identifed that the bankers were responsible for the recession – but it wasn’t the sort of ordinary bank workers who are going to suffer as a result of these cuts – it was their greedy, risk-taking bosses.
It’s a disgrace that once again to feed that greed we’re seeing the loss of so many jobs, and the asset stripping of UK jobs by allowing them to go abroad. Why aren’t the Gov’t intervening to stop this?
Oh hang on – I think we know the answer to that…
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Except the people in Telford were not responsible for what the Senior Management in the bank did, they as usual are paying the price for bad decisions made at the top.
These are people in front line who don’t deserve to be sacked.
After all we the rax payer own the majority of RBS and we should have some say in what happens. I give my whole hearted support to David Wright in his quest.
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Would that be the same Credit Management Services Department that was closed down in Edinburgh some years ago and expanded in Telford. The Scottish staff were treated disgracefully.
What goes round, comes round.
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I used to work in that office, and the people there have vast amounts of knowledge, experience and customer service. It will be a sad loss to such a failing company.
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It seems that this article is missing a lot of detail.
RBS is being forced out of England as a condition of the bailout. All their branches and business is to be transferred to Natwest.
I am as displeased as anyone that my bank of preference is being banished to north of the border but the RBS has no option, it is the politics of Europe that this should happen
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so does that mean the natwest debt recovery services will be taking over and employing all those in telford instead, just moving from one payroll to another – doubt it!
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Once again this socialist New Labour MP’s conduct bears no true scrutiny ! What will a meeting with rbs management achieve ? It makes for great soundbite , poor workers unemployed by greedy bankers , bankrupting business with reckless lending , bailed out by socialist government “saving the collapse” of the capitalist currupting culture .Oh what joy it must be to fight in opposition government . Say what you like when you cannot do anything about it but keep quiet when you could of ! The loss of over £6 million a year to the local economy is an obvious concern to those directly and indirectly affected and is directly attributable to the failings of New Labour .
This MP’s contribution I may view as just floccinaucinihilipilification .
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‘…directly attributable to the failings of New Labour…’
No. Categorically not. The banking recession was caused entirely by the short-term greed and risk taking of the capitalist banking system.
I’ve pointed out in a number of threads that that of our current debt, almost 50% is debt created directly by us having to bail out the failed capitalist banks.
The remaining debt, approx. 32% of GDP, is not at an unusually high level historically.
There have been those who have responded to these figures (sourced from official Government figures) with all sorts of childish criticism, but never once with any facts to counter them.
Much is being made of this recession, principally in order to shift the burden of paying off the debt from the rich to the poor – the recent emergency budget being an example. Similarly, many large and proosperous employers are using it as excuse to cut jobs, pay and other benefits.
It’s quite right that opposition MPs should question the necessity of these cuts, and it’s particularly disgraceful that at a time when job losses are likely to soar due to unwarranted attacks upon our public services, that a major company, largely publicly-owned should be allowed to export some of their jobs to other geographies with such impunity.
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As one of the employees of Credit Management Services in Telford who faces losing my job, we’ve always known there was going to be chance of this when the Government bailed us out.
It pains me to say it, but RBS have been unbelievably fair in giving us so much notice. Some employers in Telford when making redundancies haven’t been as fair as RBS.
RBS is only in the the spotlight because of the Government bail-out.
The public can’t have it both ways, whinge that their hard earned tax payers money bailed RBS out but then whinge when RBS also do something to start paying that back to the Government when that will inevitably mean job cuts. Well here’s some news for you, I was one of those tax payers, and me and my colleagues are the ONLY ones who have a right to be angry. No one else.
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I don’t even know where to start with this one.
The people who have a right to be angry are those who are facing the impacts of a recession caused by the banks/private sector.
“Us” taxpayers paid almost a trillion pounds to bail certain banks out and are rewarded with higher interest rates on loans and loaning interest rates on savings. On top of this, loan companies advertise left, right and centre with APR rates of 2,600% plus, which ultimately appeals to those refused by the banks. This makes me angry and most certainly gives me a right to be!
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David Wright is a hypocrite. When he says “the public” bailed out RBS, what he means is “the English taxpayer”.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland get more money from the Treasury than they pay in taxes, only the English pay more than they get.
The money that bailed out RBS and all the other Scottish banks was English money and as the only net contributors to the Treasury, the English will pay back the loans that the British government, under the leadership of a Scottish Prime Minister and Scottish Chancellor, took out to pay the bills.
When the Scottish Chancellor of the British Exchequer bailed out the Royal Bank of Scotland, he personally intervened to protect jobs in Scotland at the expense of jobs in England. The RBS head office is, of course, in Edinburgh where Alistair Darling’s constituency is. He did the same when HBOS were cutting jobs – again, their head office is in Edinburgh.
The Labour government, of which David Wright was a member (assistant whip in the Treasury), supported Royal Bank of Scotland’s anti-English policy of sacking people in England to protect jobs in Scotland.
While RBS is cutting 500 jobs in Telford (and another 3,000 elsewhere in England) they have pledged not to cut any jobs in Scotland. Not only that, but they are actually CREATING jobs in Greenock and Edinburgh in Scotland.
So Cake, do you still think RBS are being fair to their works in Telford, sacrificing your job and the jobs of another 3,500 people in Scotland so they can increase the number of people they employ in Scotland? I don’t think that’s very fair and I think David Wright is a hypocrite for complaining about a RBS’ policy of sacking English people to protect Scottish jobs when his government supported that policies.
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two years ago it was reported in the press many times that Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown were looking after the interests of Scotland in the banking crisis.He did this because they both signed the Scottish claim of right promising to put Scotland’s interests above all others.
David Wright and a whole host of English MP’s said nothing at the time. RBS rose up along with the Scottish Raj that took power at Westminster in 1997.When RBS took over Natwest 18000 jobs were lost in England and not a word was said from English MP’s.
Lloyds of London had to register as Lloyds of Edinburgh when they and English taxpayers bailed out the rest of the Scottish banks.
The end game is the sell off of all RBS English branches to a Spanish bank whilst Scottish branches are saved.RBS will be handed back in to safe Scottish hands intact and English taxpayers well and truly mugged.
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So this is a company that was bailed out by taxpayers due to an obsecene debt, and is now making an obscene profit and once again dumping on the brits and therefore the taxpayers by moving jobs abroad – certainly the gov’t should throw it’s weight about on behalf of all of us who paid tax into the bailout and stop this from hapening. Cutting back jobs is one thing, sneding them abroad is entirely another, even if it is ‘cheaper’ they are now making more than enough profit.
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It is reported that RBS is sacking staff in England and creating jobs in Scotland.
If true that is outrageoous. Why do we bother with the UK. MPs elected in Scotland always look out for the interests of Scotland. When will MP’s like David Wright look out for England and forget this UK nonsense?
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Well my thoughts are with the girls in the RBS at Stafford Park. My employer has banked with them for many years and I have been in doing the banking for 10 years and they are all great women who can’t do enough for you and who do not deserve to lose their jobs.
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This comment indicates that only ‘girls’ can get jobs with RBS, whatever happened to equal opportunities?
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Good grief Simon, was that a serious response or just humour?
You’ve reminded me of a scene in the Young Ones where Neil writes to his bank manager asking for a loan:
Neil – “Dear Mr bank manager”;
Rik – “Aha,and what makes you think he’s a man?”;
Neil – “er, his beard”.
Seriously though, to those losing their jobs – I do hope you find something else soon.
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Stafford Park?! Who said anything about those ‘girls’ losing their jobs?
The job losses in Telford are at the “Credit Management Services Office in Ironmasters Way, Telford Town Centre”.
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wheres the other Telford MP in all of this?
Mr Mr Mark Prichard a Tory, sitting idle forgetting the people he proclaims to represent, like those of Cosford whom he championed in opposition, but now in power Hmmm
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Another company bities the dust.
More to come yet.
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