Cutting 1,700 branch jobs
Barclays has cited the rise of new customer channels such as mobile banking as the reason behind its plan to cut 1700 front-end jobs from its branch network.
The bank has informed its staff that personal bankers, cashiers, operational specialists, assistant and branch manager roles will be cut in 2014. A spokesperson explained the move stating: “More and more people are choosing to use smart phones and technology for everyday transactions – using branches only when they need access to expertise. We are responding by investing in the channels that customers are increasingly using, whilst improving customer service.”
The Unite union has reacted angrily to the news accusing Barclays of making a “colossal mistake” adamant that “Barclays customers want well-staffed branches and would prefer to deal with the highly trained and professional staff that currently service their branches”.
Barclays retorted: “The way in which our customers access their banking services is changing rapidly. More and more people are choosing to use smart phones and technology for everyday transactions – using branches only when they need access to expertise. We are responding by investing in the channels that customers are increasingly using, whilst improving customer service. This means training staff so they can provide that expert support but also reducing staffing levels in our branches where there is over capacity.
“As a result of technological changes, we will be able to provide better service for our customers with fewer staff in our branches. Today we have outlined a voluntary redundancy scheme for those colleagues who are interested.
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