Southern Water has unveiled plans to cut some 150 “management and support” jobs. The move was, according to the company, part of a bid to up its efficiency and to “help us transform key aspects of our services while significantly reducing customers’ bills and building a resilient future for water in the South East.”
In a statement it said the job cuts
“will not be affecting our front-line operational colleagues.”
Company chief, Ian McAulay was reported by local press as saying: “We’ve made some pretty big strides in the past year but it’s clear that we’re not the most efficient.”
The firm added: “We will seek to offer colleagues alternative roles within the business. If we are unable to then we will offer colleagues voluntary redundancy. All those affected by the changes will be offered full support in finding alternative employment outside of Southern Water.”
It listed further planned changes including: • winding-up its Cayman Islands finance subsidiary company by the end of the year;
• making its financial structure and 100% UK tax status “more transparent and easier to understand”;
• changes to its dividends “to reflect the quality of public service we deliver”; and
• a deeper look at how much trust its customers have in it.