RBS to close 32 Natwest branches and axe 600 jobs, Unite the union says

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Royal Bank of Scotland is axing around 600 jobs and closing 32 branches of Natwest, Unite the union has said.

RBS, which has owned Natwest since 2000, has been in consultation with Unite over branch closures in the North, Midlands, East and London.

The following changes will be made to Natwest:

Northern Region:

• 18 branch closures

• Up to 217 job losses

• 220 branches changing their opening hours

Midlands & East:

• 13 branch closures

• Up to 176 job losses

• 94 branches changing their opening hours

Individual branches set to close have not yet been announced. Unite said that these numbers are in addition to over 200 job losses in London and the South East, where one branch is also closing.

A spokesperson from RBS said: "Banking has changed significantly over the last few years and the way our customers want to interact with us is also changing. We have to continually adapt to meet our customers’ needs and to ensure we remain viable and relevant both now and in the future.

"This is clearly difficult new for staff affected by these changes. We are doing everything we can to support them, including seeking redeployment opportunities wherever possible and ensuring that compulsory redundancies are kept to a minimum."

The latest round of job losses come after almost 1,600 jobs were axed in a space of weeks after the bank announced its eighth consecutive annual loss in February. Another 450 jobs were lost in the investment bank.

Unite has said it will consult with members as it holds the bank to its promise to avoid compulsory redundancies.

"With job losses across the country and surviving branches on reduced hours, there's no doubt this latest round of cuts will hurt the bank's customers as well as our members," Lyn Turner, Unite regional officer, said.

"With every branch closure Natwest is slamming its doors on another community, dangerously undermining the bank’s long-term future."