The biggest water supplier in the UK said it will axe 350 support staff, as well as removing another 300 jobs by not filling vacancies and axing contractor roles. In an announcement today, Thames Water said the support staff job cuts will mainly impact those employed in human relations and management. Those responsible for delivering services directly to customers, such as repairs staff, will largely be unaffected. The proposals, which come as part of a major efficiency drive, will reduce the company’s workforce by around 5.0 percent.
It comes after the exit of its previous chief executive Steve Robertson, who left the company in May after failing to adequately reduce water leakages.
Thames Water has begun a major push to improve productivity ahead of the next regulatory period, which starts next year.
Industry regulator Ofwat had criticised the company last year after 75,000 customers saw their supply hit during the freezing weather and subsequent thaw in March 2018 as pipes burst.
A spokesman for Thames Water said: “Thames Water is focused on maximising every penny we spend on priorities including reducing leakage and customer complaints.
“To achieve that, we must be as efficient and productive as possible across our business.
“So we are taking a range of measures to reduce our costs and become more efficient, including reducing non-essential projects and programmes.”
Thames Water said it is looking to minimise job losses wherever possible and will seek to redeploy staff affected or seek voluntary redundancies.
The spokesman added: “This is clearly very difficult news for employees directly affected.
“We will do as much as we can to support them, including providing practical help to find new roles.
“We remain totally focused on managing our cost base.
“The money we spend belongs to our customers and investors – and we are committed delivering on our commitments to them and all of our stakeholders.”
A minimum 45-day consultation period for the redundancy plans started today.