Birkenhead’s MP Frank Field is
fighting to save the jobs of 98 people on fixed-term contracts at the benefits
office in Hordan House, who have reportedly been told by their bosses that they
will be out of work in a year’s time.
In a letter to the Secretary of
State for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey, Frank said that the reports of job
losses on this scale ‘trouble me for three reasons’.
‘First, it is difficult to think
of a more gut-wrenching way for staff to be treated; not only in the sense that
they could be out of a job in the near future, but also the confusion and
anxiety that this [has] brought to their workplace.
‘Second, the potential loss of
such a large number of employees puts at risk the quality of service that
claimants can expect to receive from the Department. If anything, we need both
for those staff to be kept on and for additional staff to be recruited, to
provide an improved service.
‘Third, small businesses in
Birkenhead Town Centre could suffer a heavy blow as a result of losing such a
large number of customers who shop and eat in the area.’
Frank followed up his letter with
a question on the floor of the House of Commons, on Monday, in which he said: ‘The
Secretary of State has told me that the 98 members of job centre staff on
temporary contracts in Birkenhead are going to be laid off because they have
come to the end of their contract period.
‘We are having real problems with the roll-out of
Universal Credit. I had five cases last week, including one involving a woman
who had been reduced to living on 7p. Might not some, if not all, of those
staff be redeployed to ensure a smooth transition from traditional benefits to
the new one?’
Commenting after question time had
concluded, Frank said: ‘I will remain active in seeking to safeguard the jobs
of those 98 members of staff in the Birkenhead benefits office and, in so
doing, to improve the service being offered to very vulnerable people when they
are trying to establish a timely and accurate income.’