British Gas owner Centrica plans overhaul with 1,300 job cuts over two years

British Gas owner Centrica has said it plans to axe a further 800 jobs on top of 500 role cuts announced last month as part of efforts to overhaul its customer services and support teams.

The energy supplier said the approximately 1,300 reductions were already under way and would take place over two years.

Proposals involve the reduction of around 500 contact-based jobs in its customer operations team, alongside additional cuts to offshore outsource support jobs.

This will lead to an approximately 14 per cent reduction in the company’s customer operations workforce.

Robert Palmer, deputy director of Uplift, said: “It makes billpayers blood boil seeing Centrica make £497 million in profits today despite reporting an 18 per cent dip. They also announced over a thousand job cuts but will still be paying shareholder dividends, yet again putting profits before people.

“Being hooked on expensive gas is one of the key reasons energy bills are so high in the UK. What’s more, it’s frankly scandalous that Centrica, formerly British Gas, has made over £55 billion in profits since privatisation 40 years ago. That’s money which has been paid out by the rest of us to its bosses and shareholders.

“Add this to the fact that we have no control over gas prices, which rise every time there’s global conflict, and it explains why our bills are so high.

“The only way to make energy more affordable is to switch to homegrown renewable energy, the price of which we have more control over. We should also be taking a public share of wind projects, like many other countries do, so that the returns flow to the UK and everyone feels the economic benefit.

“This government needs to deliver on its promise to give us more control over life’s necessities like energy. That means getting us off volatile gas and out of the grip of the profiteers, and shifting the UK to clean energy that we have a public stake in and that is better for the planet.”