Shropshire Carillion workers losing jobs as another 450 posts axed

The cuts came in the wake of almost 400 axed roles last week, and brings to 829 the number to have lost their jobs so far.

The Official Receiver’s office said the latest wave of workers to lose their jobs involved people who live in Telford and Shropshire as well as the Black Country and Staffordshire. No breakdown of numbers has been given.

The losses are among staff working on private and public contracts across the country. Many commute to Carillion’s main office in Wolverhampton or to sites elsewhere in the region.

A spokesman for the Official Receiver said: “As part of the ongoing liquidation of the Carillion group, we have reviewed additional public and private sector contracts, as well as core divisions of the business.

“We can confirm that we have safeguarded a further 100 jobs and these roles are linked to public sector contracts. Most staff will be transferring on existing or similar terms, something I will continue to facilitate wherever possible as we work to find new providers for Carillion’s remaining contracts.

“Unfortunately, 452 posts are being made redundant. They cover a variety of roles connected with private and public contracts across different parts of the country, as well as back-office functions.

“We appreciate this will be a difficult time for those who have lost their jobs. Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service stands ready to support any of these employees by providing advice and information so people can move into a new job as quickly as possible. People who have been made redundant will also be entitled to make a claim for statutory redundancy payments.”

The latest jobs axe comes as Carillion’s former bosses were due today to appear before a Parliamentary inquiry to explain the failure of the £5bn turnover business.

Currently just over 16,000 Carillion employees are being retained by the Official Receiver as he carries out the liquidation: 1,029 staff have transferred to new employers and 829 have been made redundant.

“Our efforts are focused on the smooth transfer of Carillion’s contracts to new providers and we will continue to keep Carillion’s workforce updated as these arrangements are finalised.”

Around 900 jobs were secured last week with Carillion staff transferring to new companies taking over contracts in both the private and public sectors.

The Official Receiver says continued support by Carillion’s public and private sector customers has enabled as many employees as possible to be retained in the interim until all contracts have been worked through.