Jobs lost and won

Airline company EasyJet is to close its Luton call centre, putting 144 jobs on the line, despite months of efforts by general union Unite to reach an agreement on pay and flexible working. John Street, regional industrial organiser, said he had been confident, on the basis of company information, that the union would be successful in keeping the operation going and that there “wasn’t much to choose between the Luton plan and outsourcing the work to somewhere in Europe”.

At Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS trust, however, the union is celebrating an announcement that 600 jobs are to be saved, as the Strategic Health Authority agreed to “park” a historic £20 million debt. Terry Cunliffe, regional officer, said he was pleased that staff could now concentrate on improving services, without the huge threat of job cuts hanging over them.