BLAIR SAYS HE WAS NOT CONSULTED ABOUT CONSIGNIA'S PLAN TO AXE 30,000 JOBS

Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was not consulted about Consignia’s plan to axe another 30,000 postal workers over the next 18 months. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Blair said he regretted the possibility of further job losses but said it was not a matter for the government but one for the company and the unions. “We gave the Post Office the commercial freedom that people wished for,” he said, adding that these are “challenging” times for the business. Charles Kennedy, the leader of the Liberal Democrats said there would be “rightful dismay” in the country that 30,000 job losses are not considered a matter the government of the day. “That is unbelievable,” he said. The job losses represent around 15 pct of Consignia’s 200,000 workforce, and are on top of the 10,000 employees it laid off over the past year. The unions have threatened industrial action and are furious that Consignia did not even consult them about its plan. pp/mkp
AFX UK Focus