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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| British Gas to axe 680 jobs in Oldbury site closure plan | British Gas to axe 680 jobs in Oldbury site closure plan |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| British Gas is planning to close an office and call centre in the Midlands with the loss of more than 680 jobs. | British Gas is planning to close an office and call centre in the Midlands with the loss of more than 680 jobs. |
| The firm said proposals to close its Oldbury site was part of a strategy to improve service and reduce costs to ensure competitive prices. | The firm said proposals to close its Oldbury site was part of a strategy to improve service and reduce costs to ensure competitive prices. |
| Customers now increasingly prefer to contact British Gas online, the company said. | Customers now increasingly prefer to contact British Gas online, the company said. |
| The GMB union said the firm "sees staff as pawns to be sacrificed when it suits". | The GMB union said the firm "sees staff as pawns to be sacrificed when it suits". |
| Read more updates on this story and more from the West Midlands | Read more updates on this story and more from the West Midlands |
| The 684 proposed job losses were understood to be part of thousands of job cuts announced in July by parent company Centrica, which owns other energy businesses. | The 684 proposed job losses were understood to be part of thousands of job cuts announced in July by parent company Centrica, which owns other energy businesses. |
| 'Out of the blue' | 'Out of the blue' |
| British Gas said it would consult staff and would "explore redeployment opportunities" if the closure was confirmed. | British Gas said it would consult staff and would "explore redeployment opportunities" if the closure was confirmed. |
| Unite said British Gas was looking at relocating its Oldbury operation between Uddingston, in Glasgow, Leicester and Stockport, Greater Manchester, with the plan to create further roles there, but most people "may not want to relocate". | |
| Brian Strutton, national officer for the GMB, said the announcement came "completely out of the blue" as the office had been performing well. | Brian Strutton, national officer for the GMB, said the announcement came "completely out of the blue" as the office had been performing well. |
| But he added: "All the while the company's top brass on their multi-million-pound pay packages have been harbouring secret plans to shut it down." | But he added: "All the while the company's top brass on their multi-million-pound pay packages have been harbouring secret plans to shut it down." |
| Unison said the scale of cuts would make "compulsory redundancies hard to avoid". | Unison said the scale of cuts would make "compulsory redundancies hard to avoid". |
| During Prime Minister's Questions, David Cameron told MPs the government stood ready to help those affected. | During Prime Minister's Questions, David Cameron told MPs the government stood ready to help those affected. |