Northern Ireland

National Trust to cut up to 80 jobs in Northern Ireland

In total 1,200 staff in England, Northern Ireland and Wales have been told they face redundancy
In total 1,200 staff in England, Northern Ireland and Wales have been told they face redundancy In total 1,200 staff in England, Northern Ireland and Wales have been told they face redundancy

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

Some 1,200 staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been told they face redundancy.

The heritage charity is looking to save £100 million amid financial pressures caused by the coronavirus crisis.

It expects to lose nearly £200m as a result of closing its houses, gardens, car parks, shops and cafes during the pandemic.

The trust has a workforce in the north of around 570.

Regional director Heather McLachlan said it was "a very sad day".

She could not be definitive about the number of potential redundancies in Northern Ireland but said 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 told the BBC.

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

Alliance South Antrim MLA John Blair said it was "extremely sad news".

SDLP East Derry MLA Cara Hunter said she had been contacted by staff at the Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede sites who were "deeply worried".

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

She said there would be a shift from a "one-size-fits-all" approach to properties.

Opening hours will be reviewed at some and others will have a pre-booked guided tour system for visits.

Mike Clancy from the union Prospect said the priority was minimising the number of redundancies, maximising voluntary redundancy and getting as good a deal as possible for those who lose their jobs.

He warned: "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.

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