Legal and General staff in Surrey balloted for strike action

Staff working at the Surry base of multinational financial services firm Legal and General may strike in response to plans to close the site.

The 1,700 people currently employed at the Kingswood facility are being balloted over possible strike action after the company announced in August that the campus could shut down in 2017.

The BBC has reported that while Legal and General confirmed the majority of jobs would be transferred to its offices in Cardiff and Hove, near Brighton, the Unite union has voiced concerns that relocation would not be possible for some.

According to the BBC, Unite regional officer Ian Methven said: “The company claim the ‘vast majority’ of the 1,700 workforce can be relocated to Hove, Cardiff and London; however, both sites have less than 450 free desks combined. The numbers simply do not add up.

“It’s time for Legal and General to stop trying to mislead staff, admit that we are talking about over a thousand potential job losses and commit to serious consultation.”

Unite has said the ballot process over a possible workers’ strike would end on Wednesday (September 16), following which it would call for a vote over “full industrial action” if Legal and General did not reassess the situation.

The BBC further reported that the company said in a statement: “Legal and General has started consultation with Unite, that could potentially result with the Kingswood office being closed in 2017.

“If that were to happen, then the vast majority of the roles in Kingswood will be transferred to our Hove and Cardiff offices.”