Almost 1,300 jobs are to be lost at the National Trust as a result of the coronavirus crisis, but the charity said it had more than halved the number of compulsory redundancies it expected to make.
A union has described the job losses as “devastating” for people affected but also called the plan “a reasonable way to move forward”.
The conservation body said in July that it might have to make 1,200 people compulsorily redundant to make annual savings of £100m. On Thursday, the Trust said 782 people had taken voluntary redundancy and 514 people would be made compulsorily redundant after the biggest redundancy consultation process in its 125-year history.
More than 14,500 pieces of feedback were received and the Trust said it had listened.
There had been particular disquiet at plans to sack education officers. The Trust now says it will retain roles focused on helping children learn and keep curation specialists and everyday maintenance jobs.
Hilary McGrady, the Trust’s director general, thanked staff, volunteers and members for making their views known and said the plans were putting the charity on course for a secure financial future.
She said: “It’s with deep sadness that we have to make redundancies. I certainly don’t want to stop any of the extraordinary work done by the people of the National Trust.
“But our consultation has done as intended. It provided proposals to reach our savings target, and sparked such thorough feedback and collective intelligence that we’ve been able to adapt our plans while still making the savings we needed. It’s been a difficult process with some very hard choices.”
Mike Clancy, the general secretary of the union Prospect, said: “Prospect understand the pressures the National Trust is under, but this is still a huge number of job losses and those redundancies will have a huge impact on the lives of all affected.
“The long-term prospects for the National Trust and access to its properties and lands are hugely important both to employees and to the cultural health of the nation.
“The current plan, while devastating for those who are losing jobs they love, is a reasonable way to move forward, minimising job losses while hopefully safeguarding the National Trust’s future.”
