THE finance sector was hit by another jobs hammer blow today with news that Lloyds is to axe 2,100 posts.
Staff were told that the cuts will affect the firm's commercial and group operations, hitting offices across the country.
The Unite union said it was "astonished" at the new job losses, saying "real questions" now had to be asked about how far the
bank can be allowed to go in its "systematic" slashing of staff.
Rob MacGregor, Unite's national officer, said: "This loss of over 2,000 jobs marks the largest single job loss announcement since the formation of Lloyds Banking Group in January.
"Morale is now truly low as employees across Lloyds are in a permanent state of anxiety as they see their employer announce hundreds of job losses every week.
"This Labour Government cannot afford to turn the other way as bank workers across the country are losing their jobs. This horrendous news brings the total of job losses since January in LBG to over 7,000.
"The thousands of staff in the commercial and group operations areas who are hit by this announcement will be seeking a commitment from the bank that there will be no compulsory redundancies.
"Unite welcomes the assurance given to the union that LBG will not offshore any further roles in these business areas. However, we have called for an urgent review of all the Lloyds work being done offshore in order to access how this could be done in the UK in order to protect jobs."
Ged Nichols, general secretary of Accord, the union representing the largest number of former HBOS employees now working in the new Lloyds Banking Group, described the announcement as "very significant", adding: "A team from Accord is meeting with the LBG today to seek reassurance that the restructuring that is taking place is genuinely aimed at creating a bank fit for the future rather than just cutting short-term costs."
