L&G headquarters closure threatens jobs and clients, says union

A plan by insurance and investment giant Legal & General which could see it shut down its headquarters in Surrey will impact severely on customers, a trade union for finance workers has warned.

L&G headquarters closure threatens jobs and clients, says union

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L&G said the Surrey site could be closed by 2017 to make the business more efficient.

However, trade union Unite said the loss of hundreds of highly specialised jobs will “inevitably impact customers” and has launched a collective consultation with L&G members.

“With up to 1,700 Kingswood jobs in the firing line, it is inevitable that such drastic cuts will severely undermine customer service,” said Ian Methven, Unite regional officer.

“Many of our experienced members have specialised pensions knowledge which is highly valued by customers, yet L&G seem prepared to throw that all away in a reckless rush to make short-term savings.”

Unite is demanding that L&G minimise job losses through natural attrition, voluntary redundancy and by ensuring that all staff are offered genuine and realistic offers of relocation.

The union will be holding group meetings with L&G members throughout September.

Potential closure

A spokesperson for L&G said: “Legal & General has started consultation with Unite, that could potentially result in the Kingswood office (Surrey) being closed in 2017.

“The Kingswood office lease is up for renewal, and therefore it is sensible to see if the work cannot be done in our other offices, in a way that could benefit our customers.

“If that were to happen, then the vast majority of the roles in Kingswood will be transferred to our Hove and Cardiff offices.”

In June, L&G confirmed it was planning to reshuffle its offices to improve the efficiency of the business. 

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