UK Ministry of Defence to axe 1,000 jobs
The Ministry of Defence in the UK is to axe 1,000 jobs from its head office and relocate another 800 posts from London, staff were told today.
The Public and Commercial Services union said almost a third of civilian posts at the London headquarters off Whitehall will be cut by 2010, hitting admin, finance and personnel staff.
The union reacted with “fury” to the news and claimed that new, senior jobs are being created at the MoD while other posts are cut back.
The union warned that further cuts to civilian support staff, combined with the disruption of relocating staff, would undermine the ability of the MoD to support the armed forces.
Around 12,000 jobs have already gone in the MoD across a range of areas, including defence logistics, procurement, IT and armed forces training, said PCS officials.
General secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This move is purely about meeting arbitrary job cut targets with little or no thought about how it will impact on the support our frontline armed forces receive.
“It is difficult to see how cutting 30% of staff and moving 800 out of London will not have a damaging impact.
“Staff will be further angered about the disproportionate impact the cuts will have on the lowest-paid, especially when they see the creation of new senior positions on six-figure salaries.
“The MoD and the Government need to seriously rethink their proposals and address the concerns of staff by negotiating with the union.”
