Jobs axe cuts deeper into economy
Updated on 18 November 2008
The jobs axe cut deeper into the UK economy, with thousands more posts being slashed as unemployment edged closer to the two million mark.
Plumbing and building supplies firm Wolseley announced plans to cut 2,000 jobs and close more than 200 branches in the UK, union leaders said National Express was to trim more than 300 workers from its East Anglia franchise, and Independent News and Media said it was was axing 90 posts, mainly in the editorial departments.
The grim news supported predictions of worsening unemployment, with business groups now predicting a jobless total of about two million by Christmas and three million before the current economic downturn ends.
Reading-based Wolseley, which trades as Plumb Center and Build Center, said the job losses reflected its expectations of a further decline in trading. The company also shed 5,050 positions between August and the end of October, mainly in North America.
The firm, which operates more than 1,900 branches in the UK and Ireland, said the latest job cuts would be phased over the next few months, A total of 314 posts would be cut at East Anglia railways, including 72 vacancies which will now not be filled, said the Transport Salaried Staffs Association.
A National Express spokesman said: "We can confirm we are proposing to close our Norwich call centre, which may lead to a reduction of 73 roles in Norwich.
"We are also planning to make changes to the way we provide food and drink on board the Norwich to London trains in response to changing customer needs. Also, as any sensible business does, we are constantly reviewing the structure of the business."
Independent News and Media said a "sizeable number" of its job losses would be voluntary, with savings put at more than £10 million. The company said the cuts at the Independent and Independent on Sunday followed a major review of costs after a downturn in advertising revenue.
Chief executive Ivan Fallon added: "This restructuring will produce a significantly lower cost base, which will allow our titles to weather whatever storms the next few years will bring. The changes will be implemented by early 2009.
Wolseley's headcount reduction is one of the biggest in recent days, after a raft of UK companies including BT, JCB, truckmaker Leyland, Virgin Media, Yell and GlaxoSmithKline all announced plans to shed labour.
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