Unions attack ScottishPower as 450 jobs go cuts

SCOTTISHPOWER came under attack from trade unions yesterday after announcing 450 job losses in its electricity distribution business, writes Michael Harrison.

The cutbacks, partly in response to tough new price controls from the energy regulator, were disclosed in a letter to the workforce from the managing director of the group's power systems division, John Menzies.

The AEEU engineering union's national energy officer, Dougie Rooney, condemned the move, saying its members were the "meat in the sandwich" between ScottishPower and the pricing review.

He also warned customers would suffer as skilled staff were lost. The redundancies will be phased over three years.