Npower’s plan to scrap 550 jobs in Stoke-on-Trent must be fought!

 Npower have now announced what they have had planned for almost twelve months that it’s call centre in Fenton, will close next June as part of a total of 1,400 workers nationally being thrown on the scrap heap.

The plan is to outsource the 550 Stoke-on-Trent jobs to India under the ‘management’ of Tata Consultancy Services. 

Npower offices in Fenton where 550 jobs are in danger

Npower say it is being done, “to improve our customer services and keep our costs down at a time of external pressure on customer’s bills”
Does anyone believe this crap? Npower are so concerned about ‘customer’s bills’ that they are increasing prices by 10.4% in December.
As for keeping “costs down” they should look at what they are paying their chief executive Paul Massara. Despite ‘earning’ £450,000 this year he refused to give up his £150,000 bonus saying to do so would be just a ‘gimmick’. This is some ‘gimmick’ – £150,000 is almost NINE times the average Stoke-on-Trent worker’s annual income! If this was not enough he will also save £22,500 as a result of George Osbourne’s tax break for millionaires.

Fight together against Npower

Npower are trying to turn customers against their workers by saying that sacking 1,400 will reduce bills for customers. But it will be the top employees and shareholders who will pocket any ‘savings’ not hard pressed customers.
One worker who has been at the Fenton site for over ten years told us, “I’m disgusted that Unison seem to be just accepting the redundancy package. They should be fighting to save our jobs and keep the Fenton site open”
Npower have now announced a 60 day ‘consultation’ period. Unison, representing Npower workers at Stoke, should make sure that this ‘consultation’ includes building a campaign to defend all these jobs.
They should link up with other Npower workplaces faced with job losses and closure in Oldbury, West Midlands and elsewhere.

Open the books

In 2012 Npower posted a 25% increase in profits to a bumper £390 million just four months after increasing prices for customers by 9% and followed that with a further 8% increase in profits in the first nine months of this year.
As part of the ‘consultation’ Unison should demand that the books of Npower are opened up to public scrutiny so we can see exactly where these profits are going.

Renationalise Npower and other major energy companies

As one of the top six privately owned energy companies, Npower is in business, like the others, to make maximum profits for it’s top earners and shareholders. This includes sacking workers and increasing bills when it suits them.

But this is not what workers or customers want. A recent Mirror online poll found 94% would like to see energy returned to public ownership.

Energy industry unions should draw the necessary conclusions from Npower’s attempt to sack more workers while still increasing prices for customers as a warning of what the future holds if their plans are not fought and stopped. If Npower get away with it then the other five top companies will do the same to remain ‘competitive’.

Unison and other unions involved should fight this latest round of job cuts and launch a campaign for the immediate renationalisation of the major energy companies to be run in the interest of the majority. Only in this way could jobs be saved and customer prices be kept down now and in the future.

There would be no need to compensate the fat cat owners, although small shareholders would be compensated in cases of proven need.

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