The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Utilities Electricity, Gas, Steam And Air Conditioning Supply Electricity, Gas, Steam And Air Conditioning Supply 35 - Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
2,400 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
6 March 2016
Employment effect (start)
8 March 2016
Foreseen end date
31 December 2018
Description
United Kingdom energy supplier Npower has announced that it will reduce its workforce by 2,400 by 2018. The job losses will include directly employed staff as well as contractors. The UK operations are head-quartered in Swindon. Most of its UK employees are based in the Midlands, north east of England and in Yorkshire. It has been reported that sales and marketing roles will experience the largest cuts. The German-owned company has said that there will be no job losses at any of its UK power stations.
The company reported an annual loss of £106 million (approx. €137 million) in 2015. The company has experienced difficulties with their billing system and lost between 6 to 7 per cent of UK energy customers in 2015. This has meant Npower moved from the second to sixth largest energy supplier in the UK. Related to the problems with their billing system, in December 2015, the company was ordered to pay £26 million (approx. €33.6 million) to customers for sending out inaccurate bills and for failure to properly handle complaints.
Prior to this announcement, Npower employed 11,500 workers, of which 7,500 were directly employed. In 2014, several offices in the United Kingdom were closed with some customer service work either outsourced or offshored to India (see earlier factsheet ).
Sources
6 March 2016: BBC News
6 March 2016: The Guardian
8 March 2016: BBC News
8 March 2016: The Independent
Citation
Eurofound (2016), Npower, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 86672, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/86672.
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