Barclays union hopeful

Banking union UNIFI is optimistic that it will avoid compulsory

redundancies when Barclays, Britain's fourth biggest high street bank,

takes over its smaller rival Woolwich in a £5.4 billion deal. The move

is just the latest threat to jobs in the sector as it faces major

restructuring.

Barclays has said it will shed 1,000 UK staff from the combined

workforce of over 58,000 and close 100 branches.

It has refused to rule out compulsory redundancies, but said it would

try to achieve the cuts by natural wastage or through voluntary

redundancies.

However, UNIFI general secretary Ed Sweeney told the Morning Star: "We

have a constructive relationship with Barclays and aim to achieve no

compulsory redundancies."

Woolwich has only been a stock market company since the summer of 1997

when it converted from a mutual building society to a public limited

company.

Barclays' public image was badly dented in April when it sparked a storm

of protest by shutting 171 branches in rural areas with the loss of

around 7,500 jobs.