Airbus confirms where 1,700 jobs will be cut in the UK
AIRBUS has confirmed where the 1,700 UK job cuts announced this week will fall – and workers in Wales will be hit the hardest.
On Tuesday, the plane manufacturer said that thousands of workers at its two UK factories are at risk of losing their jobs.
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And today Airbus revealed that 1,435 of the jobs are at its plant in Broughton, north Wales, while a further 295 workers at risk are based at Filton, Bristol.
More than 12,000 jobs were put at risk this week by firms including Airbus, easyJet and Upper Crust.
There are also fresh fears for John Lewis workers after reports that the retailer is planning to axe a number of branches, jobs and bonuses, while Harrods is looking to get rid of 680 team members.
Banking group Virgin Money, which also owns Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank, has said it will cut 300 jobs, and Topshop owner Arcadia is looking to slash 500 office jobs.
Job losses since June 2020
MANY firms have announced job cuts since June as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. These include:
- Shoe chain Aldo collapsed into administration with five stores permanently closed
- Victoria’s Secrets plunged into administration, putting 800 jobs at risk
- Fashion chain Quiz put its shop business into administration in , putting 82 stores at risk
- British Gas owners cuts 5,000 jobs, over half of which will be in management
- Airbus announces 1,700 job losses. It expects cuts to be made by summer 2021
- TM Lewin says it will close all 66 of its UK shops, putting 600 jobs at risk
- Harveys Furniture goes into administration resulting in 240 immdiate job losses and puts another 1,000 at risk
- Upper Crust plans to make 5,000 out of its 9,000-strong workforce redundant
- EasyJet says it plans to close hubs at Stansted, Southend and Newcastle, putting 4,500 jobs at risk
- John Lewis is reported to be planning to cut jobs and permanently close department stores
- Harrods has said it is consulting on cutting 680 jobs
- Virgin Money, which owns Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank, will cut 300 jobs
- Topshop owner Arcadia has announced plans to cut 500 office staff
- Post Office is expected to cut 2,000 jobs as a result of coronavirus
Airbus warned employees at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic that their jobs might get the chop.
In a letter to its 135,000 staff in April, chief executive Guillaume Faury said the company, which makes planes for major airlines, was “bleeding cash at an unprecedented speed”.
The latest announcement means Airbus is cutting about 12 per cent of its 13,500 workers across the UK.
The company has also announced it will cut 15,000 jobs across its global operations.
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It expects to make these cuts by summer 2021, but hopes the majority of redundancies will be voluntary or through early retirement of staff.
Airbus blamed the move on a 40 per cent drop in production during the coronavirus crisis, which has hit the travel industry hard.
Around 3,200 production and production-support staff at the Broughton were placed on the UK’s furlough scheme at the end of April.
It also furloughed workers in France, with the company’s headquarters located in the southwest region of Occitanie.
The company said in a statement: “These figures include integrated corporate functions which support all divisions in the UK.
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“This split reflects the significant impact the Covid crisis has had on the UK’s commercial aircraft manufacturing activities which are concentrated in Broughton.
“Airbus will continue to meet regularly with its trade union partners in the UK in order to identify solutions that will help us implement this adaptation while minimising the social impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the company.”
This week, airline Easyjet said up to 4,500 staff are at risk of losing their jobs as it plans to close hubs at Stansted, Southend and Newcastle airports.