Lloyds Bank fires 865 staff

Lloyds Bank in the UK is shedding 865 jobs, as it resumes cost-cutting measures amid COVID-19 pandemic, TopNaija reports.

Lloyds, the biggest domestic banking group in UK, had temporarily stopped job losses and restructuring early in the pandemic, with the commitment running until October.

Union Unite criticised the cuts, which come alongside the creation of 226 new roles.

“Unite is extremely worried about the future prospects of the 860 staff being told that they will lose their jobs during these very challenging times,” said Unite national officer Rob MacGregor.

Lloyds confirmed the cuts and said the majority of the roles were non-customer facing and came from simplifying its business.

“These changes primarily reflect our existing plans to simplify parts of our businesses, which were in place prior to Covid-19,” a Lloyds spokeswoman said.

“Any colleague impacted by today’s announcement will not leave the Group until November at the earliest.”

Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the “Big Four” clearing banks. The bank was founded in Birmingham in 1765.