Aero firm in 'brutal' jobs attack
Unite warns Midlands firm it ‘must not exploit lockdown’ to slash jobs
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Unite has more than 500 members at SPS’ sites across the Midlands, where the firm is planning more than 420 redundancies and reductions to pay grades, sick pay, paid breaks, shift premiums and other terms and conditions for those staff who remain.
Unite is calling on SPS to furlough workers under the government’s job retention scheme until October so it can gain a clearer picture of the post-lockdown economy and prevent unnecessary job losses and contract changes.
In Nottinghamshire, SPS is making around a third of the 300 strong workforce at its Annesley site redundant, while more than 40 jobs will go in at firm’s Mansfield site, where around 100 people are employed. SPS has also announced 200 job losses at its 480-man site in Leicester, as well as nearly 100 jobs losses at its operations in Rugby, which constitutes the vast majority of the site’s workforce.
“SPS must not exploit the lockdown to force through these unnecessary redundancies and brutal attacks on terms and conditions,” commented Unite regional officer Garry Guye said.
“Unite is calling on SPS to immediately furlough staff until October under the government’s job retention scheme.
“Furloughing the workforce will give SPS time to properly assess the economic environment it finds itself in as the country emerges from lockdown and allow a full consultation with Unite to prevent needless harm being inflicted on the workforce.
“SPS now has an opportunity to show that it is not using the lockdown as a cover to attack jobs and T&Cs. If it continues with its plans, SPS’ management can rest assured that Unite will challenge this disgraceful behaviour at every possible juncture,” he added.
By Ryan Fletcher
