Ed Davey urged 'to get a grip' on energy price rises and job losses
Energy secretary Ed Davey was told today (Thursday 28 November) 'to get a grip' when it comes to massive energy price hikes and the outsourcing of jobs abroad.
Unite, the largest union in the country which has 40,000 members in the energy sector, was highly critical of npower's decision to move about 1,400 jobs to India.
Unite national officer for energy Kevin Coyne said:
“npower's decision to outsource these jobs is outrageous.
“This is a highly profitable company with richly rewarded top executives who should have the capability to realise that outsourcing of jobs has not worked for other industries, and that some are bringing back outsourced jobs in house.
“We are not talking about a company on the breadline that needs to outsource jobs abroad to survive – quite the contrary, npower's decision is a cruel Christmas present for a dedicated workforce and we urge them to rethink this retrograde policy.
“More widely, Ed Davey needs to get a grip of what is happening to energy prices, which are going through the roof, and decisions like the npower outsourcing move.
“It is sad that we have a society, where in the run-up to Christmas, thousands of families have to decide whether 'to heat or eat' and the number of food banks in the UK stands at a record level.”
Unite will be building a strong campaign to retain jobs in the UK and to mitigate the impact of the job losses already announced.
