26 Jun 2013

Direct Line to cut 2,000 jobs

Around 2,000 jobs are under threat at Churchill owner Direct Line Group after the insurance giant reveals plans to ramp up cost-cutting.

Direct Line – the UK’s biggest motor insurer – said staff across head office and support functions were expected to be impacted in the latest round of redundancies.

But the group said it hoped to redeploy staff where possible and find opportunities for affected workers with other potential employers.

The job cuts – representing about 14 per cent of its 14,400-strong workforce – come as Direct Line announced plans to more than double its original cost savings target to more than £200m gross annual savings by 2014, or £130m a year on a net basis.

Direct Line has already axed 1,200 jobs since last August under the cost-cutting drive.

It has 16 sites across the UK, including offices in central London, Croydon, Bromley, Leeds, Glasgow and Manchester.

Shuttng Teesside call centre

But the group is shutting its Teesside call centre over the next week, as previously announced, and it is understood another site is at risk of closure under the latest move to slash costs.

Paul Geddes, chief executive of Direct Line Group, said the firm has “not made these proposed changes lightly”.

He added: “As we have done in the past, we will deal fairly and carefully with those impacted, and do all we can to support them through these changes.”

Direct Line, which was spun out of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) when it floated on the stock market last year, recently revealed profits of £94.3m for the first three months of 2013 – up 47 per cent on a year earlier thanks to cost savings and unusually low weather-related claims.

But the group, which also owns brands including Green Flag and Privilege, saw gross premiums fall 4.5 per cent during the quarter to about £1bn as it refused to get drawn into a price war in the fiercely competitive motor insurance market.

Taxpayer-backed RBS floated Direct Line to appease European Union rules on state aid.

RBS still owns 48.5 per cent of the insurer but must sell its entire stake by the end of 2014.