Concern over jobs as FedEx confirms Staffordshire closure plan
Concerns have been raised over the future of hundreds of workers after delivery company FedEx announced it was closing its depot in Staffordshire.The firm said it would be shutting its site at Parkhouse, Newcastle-under-Lyme, as part of its plans to consolidate operations at two new facilities by 2029.More than 360 people currently work at the site and Newcastle-under-Lyme MP Adam Jogee said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" at the news.FedEx said no job losses had been announced as part of the changes and it would be working with union and staff representatives to ensure employees were supported.
The MP said the community deserved answers and he would be seeking urgent talks with the company."I believe the site is strategically located and should be able to prosper – if the company is willing to work with local stakeholders to explore alternatives," he added.
Union Unite said it would be campaigning against the closures, which also include depots at Kingsbury in Warwickshire and Dartford in Kent.The two new FedEx depots would be based at Marston Gate in Bedfordshire and Atherstone in Warwickshire.Unite said a final decision on the closures might not be made for more than two years, which created "immediate uncertainty".The union's general secretary Sharon Graham said: "FedEx UK is a profitable company and their parent organisation in the US makes billions so it is inexcusable that it is making hundreds of job losses to simply maximise profits without a care or thought given to the impact this will have on workers, their families and communities across the UK."
A spokesperson for FedEx said it was "openly" speaking to teams about the changes and would continue to do so during the consultation process."No job losses have been announced as part of these proposals and there are no changes for FedEx employees in the short term," they said."As part of announcing our proposal we have also set out our commitment to supporting team members with retraining, access to education and time and resources to explore all options open to them."The firm said it was pleased team members had responded with "openness" to understanding the options and appreciated Unite "being proactive in supporting their members.
Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
UK economy shrinks by 0.3% as firms hit by higher taxes and Trump trade war
The UK economy contracted in April by 0.3% as businesses cut jobs and cancelled investment plans in response to higher taxes and the uncertainty created by Donald Trump's tariff war. Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the economy went into reverse after growing by 0.2% in March and 0.5% in February. The figure overshot City economists' expectations of a 0.1% contraction, underscoring concerns that an increase in employer national insurance contributions and the impact of escalating US import tariffs on the global economic outlook would harm the UK's growth prospects. The latest jobs data from HMRC showed the number of workers on company payrolls fell by 109,000 in May – the largest monthly fall since the same period in 2020 during the first Covid lockdown. More than 250,000 jobs have been lost in Britain since Rachel Reeves's autumn budget. Coming only a day after the chancellor laid out plans to grow the economy in a three-year spending review, the data will disappoint ministers keen to show they have improved the UK's outlook. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion More details soon …
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Uttoxeter Maltings regeneration scheme behind schedule, council says
A major regeneration project in Staffordshire is behind schedule, according to performance targets set by the local authority.A planning application for the redevelopment of The Maltings site in Uttoxeter was due to be submitted in delay was caused by a decision to file separate applications for demolition of the shopping precinct and the regeneration work, bosses council said an application for the demolition was now due to be submitted this month. East Staffordshire Borough Council bought the shopping centre in January, following its purchase of the former Co-op building in 2023 alongside the land that it already council has previously committed to further improvements in the area, including refurbishing toilets on Bradley Street, upgrading connectivity from a bus station and car park to the high street, as well as installing improved lighting and seating, plus a full pedestrianisation of the high addition, 12 new electric vehicle charging stations have been installed in the car park.A consultation on the proposed regeneration work began in May last year and has since ended. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Spectator
11 hours ago
- Spectator
Portrait of the week: Spending review, LA protests and Greta Thunberg deported
Home Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, was the last minister to agree funding in the government spending review. Once the NHS and defence were settled there wasn't enough to go round. The police wanted more. Everyone over the state pension age in England and Wales with an income of £35,000 or less will receive the winter fuel payment after all, at a cost of £1.25 billion, Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced. Capital spending included £39 billion on social housing over the next ten years. The government also committed £14.2 billion for the new Sizewell C nuclear power station, but did not say where the money was coming from. Rolls-Royce was selected as the preferred bidder to build the country's first small modular reactors. Unemployment rose to 4.6 per cent, its highest level since 2021, up from 4.5 per cent. Any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from September 2026, adding 500,000 to the scheme. Teachers in England can use artificial intelligence to mark homework, under government guidance. The NHS said that a blood shortage required an increase of donors from 800,000 to a million. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, announced sanctions against two Israeli ministers over comments which 'incited extremist violence', banning them from entering Britain. Zia Yusuf resigned as the chairman of Reform UK. He had criticised Sarah Pochin, the party's new MP, for urging Sir Keir Starmer to back a burqa ban, saying: 'I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do.' Two days later he returned to the party in a role with the so-called Doge UK team, seeking savings in council spending. Labour won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election for the Scottish parliament with 8,559 votes, ahead of the SNP's 7,957 and Reform's 7,088. There was rioting in Ballymena after an alleged sexual assault by two teenage Romanian-speaking boys. An audit commissioned by the secretary general of Unite found that there had been a 'pervasive fraud environment' in the union, which spent £112 million on building a hotel in Birmingham, losing £53.8 million. Last week Unite members voted to continue the dustmen's strike in Birmingham, which began on 11 March. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, agreed with US warnings against a new Chinese embassy at the former Royal Mint site on Tower Hill, fearing espionage. Marks and Spencer began taking online orders for home delivery again, six weeks after a cyber attack. Peter Easterby, the only racehorse trainer to have sent out more than 1,000 winners both over jumps and on the flat, died aged 95. Novelist Frederick Forsyth died aged 86. Abroad About 2,000 National Guard troops were deployed in Los Angeles by the federal government, against the wishes of Governor Gavin Newsom of California, to confront violent protests against the migrant deportation policy of President Donald Trump. A curfew was imposed and 700 Marines and 2,000 more National Guard were sent in. Mr Trump said he was 'disappointed' that Elon Musk had called his 'big, beautiful' budget bill a 'disgusting abomination'; Mr Musk complained of the President's 'ingratitude', declaring: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election.' He then tweeted: 'Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files.' He later deleted it. Mr Trump signed a proclamation banning entry for people from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen; a partial ban extended to Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Russia launched an attack with cruise missiles and hundreds of drones on Kyiv and other places in Ukraine; the next night Karkhiv was the target; on another night Kyiv and Odessa. Russia and Ukraine exchanged sick and badly wounded prisoners of war, those aged under 25, and bodies of 12,000 soldiers. Russia's mercenary group Wagner announced it was withdrawing from Mali after four years. A 75ft statue of Lenin in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, was quietly taken down. Eleven were killed in a shooting at a secondary school in the city of Graz in Austria, including the suspect. A yacht carrying Greta Thunberg and 11 others trying to bring aid to Gaza was towed to the port of Ashdod, after being seized by Israel, and she was put on a plane to Paris. CSH
