Rotherham job losses fury

UNISON said that plans to axe posts at the town’s branch of Connexions amounted to “an act of gross vandalism.”

Connexions, which only opened new premises in Effingham Square in October, works with young people aged 13 to 19 to help them to find work or training.

Staff learned of the cuts on Wednesday and will find out by February if they are losing their jobs, with the redundancies coming into force in April.

UNISON blamed a cut in council funding and said in a statement that the loss of up to 15 personal advisers out of the 42 employed in Rotherham would be a blow for both staff and the town’s economy.

“We condemn the redundancies being forced on staff by the cuts to the local authority,” the union said.

“We see this as a slap in the face for the hard work carried out by staff.

“With the support of schools, colleges, employers and training providers our staff have helped reduce the percentage of people not in education, employment or training in Rotherham to well below the national average.

“If we lose these Connexions staff, who will help the rising ranks of unemployed young people in Rotherham?”

The UNISON statement added: “Connexions personal advisers provide an excellent and desperately needed service for young people.

“The cuts specifically target those young people most in need of public service support.

“What’s now happening is an act of gross vandalism as well as a breach of statutory regulations.”