Armed Forces cuts 'jeopardise support jobs'
Posted - 23/01/2012
The Unite union has warned that the next wave of redundancies in the Armed Forces will also jeopardise the jobs of many more support staff with security clearance.
A total of 2,900 Army, 900 RAF and 400 Navy personnel are to be let go in this second tranche of redundancies, as part of the planned shedding of around 17,000 servicemen and women by 2015.
Yet Unite has warned that this latest phase of job cuts could also result in a further 2,500 industrial civil servants - such as drivers, vehicle fitters, electricians, plumbers and stores' staff - losing their jobs too.
Its national officer for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Mike McCartney asserted: "It is clear that the cutbacks to frontline staff will have a detrimental effect on the industrial civil servants that provide vital back-up and support to our frontline men and women."
Furthermore, Mr McCartney also warned that Armed Forces personnel cuts could pave the way towards the outsourcing of the MOD's work to private firms, which he said would also affect the pay and work conditions of its security cleared employees.