Politicians concerned over SSE job losses

PERTH JOBS could be under threat following energy giant SSE’s announcement yesterday that it is to shed 500 posts.

The cull is being made to offset the company’s decision to freeze household energy prices until 2016. Redundancies will initially be voluntary but could become compulsory if there is not enough interest within SSE’s 20,000 strong UK workforce.

The firm is a vital employer in Perth, where it has its headquarters, and although bosses claim losses “will not affect any one specific geographical area”, politicians are concerned that Perth may yet bear the brunt.

Pete Wishart MP said the announcements represented “good news for the consumer but not for their employees”.

“While it will be some comfort to staff that they are not talking at this stage about compulsory redundancies, I want to be sure that Perth does not take a disproportionate hit in terms of the number of jobs that are to go,” he added.

SNP colleague Roseanna Cunningham MSP said the decision would have a real impact upon the morale of staff, no matter how the redundancies are managed.

“They will, understandably, be concerned that their own jobs may be less secure in the future or that more will be required of those who are left,” she added.

SCOTTISH AND Southern Energy (SSE) last night claimed that their headquarters in Perth would not be badly affected by forthcoming job losses.

Perth is one of the firm’s main call centres in the UK along with Cumbernauld, Cardiff and Portsmouth, but despite the energy giant looking to “shed” 500 employees an SSE spokesman told The Courier it will not be singled out for job cuts.

“This won’t affect one specific geographic area,” he said.

“This voluntary early release scheme is aimed at providing an opportunity for those staff looking for a career change or early retirement, and we are looking to shed 500 jobs.

“However, Perth, which is one of our bigger operations, won’t be affected any more than any other SSE office in the UK.”

SSE also has a notable presence in Glasgow and Reading.

SSE’s headquarters in Perth.