Coronavirus: National Trust redundancy plan puts 80 NI jobs at risk

The Giant's CausewayPA Media

Much of the Giant's Causeway site is owned and managed by the National Trust

The National Trust is to cut up to 80 jobs across Northern Ireland.

In total 1,200 staff in England, NI and Wales have been told they face redundancy as the heritage charity looks to save £100m.

As a result of closing its houses, gardens, car parks, shops and cafes during the coronavirus pandemic, it said it expected to lose nearly £200m.

Regional director Heather McLachlan said it was "a very sad day" for the 570-strong NI workforce.

She said all aspects of the trust's work had been impacted by the pandemic, "and Northern Ireland is no different".

Although she said she could not be definitive about the number of potential redundancies as the consultation with staff has just opened, it "could be in the order of 80 salaried staff".

"There will also be a reduction in our hourly paid staff budget, as is the case across the Trust [but] we will continue to do everything we can to mitigate the impact of job losses," she added.

Alliance Party assembly member John Blair said it was "extremely sad news" for employees and the public.

"The Trust provides vital conservation work to protect and care for our precious coastlines, woodlands and countryside. This is a major blow for the sector," he said.

PA Media

The National Trust, which has 5.6 million members, looks after properties in England, Northern Ireland and Wales

SDLP East Londonderry assembly member Cara Hunter said she had been contacted by concerned staff in the Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede sites.

"They're deeply worried about their jobs as a result of this news," she said.  

"The National Trust is a large employer across the north coast and job losses at this scale will have a significant impact on the local economy and tourism industry."

The trust's director general, Hilary McGrady, told staff the organisation had exhausted every other possibility before proposing job cuts.

A union said no trust properties were to close under the plans but there were fears it was "only a matter of time".

The trust, which has 5.6 million members, hopes to save almost a fifth of its annual spend by changing the way it operates and reducing its payroll and budgets.

Laying off 1,200 staff would save £60m - about 13% of the 9,500-strong salaried workforce.

The charity said cuts to staff caring for houses, gardens and collections would be limited as it looked to refocus efforts on protecting cultural heritage.

It has already announced it is stopping or deferring £124m of projects, and introduced a recruitment freeze to reduce its staff costs.

Ms McGrady said there would be a shift from a "one-size-fits-all" approach to properties, with reviewed opening hours at some and, in some cases, a pre-booked guided tour system for visits.

'Devastating blow'

Mike Clancy, from the Prospect union, said the "big programme of layoffs" would leave staff worried about their futures.

"At the moment there are no plans for National Trust to close whole properties, but they are shutting 'unprofitable' shops and cafes and the worry is that it's only a matter of time," he said.

"Once jobs are lost and assets are closed it is very hard to recover them."

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