More Job Losses Announced In Hampshire

8 November 2013, 17:12 | Updated: 8 November 2013, 17:17

A major insurance firm has announced it is axing almost 100 positions in Hampshire - which is already reeling from two major jobs blows.

The loss of 94 jobs at Zurich in Whiteley, South Hampshire, comes after 130 employees are under threat of redundancy at synthetic rubber manufacturer Polimeri Europa UK Ltd in Hythe with 940 jobs also to go at the BAE shipyard in Portsmouth.

Zurich is to restructure its UK personal car and home claims handling teams with the operations transferring to its subsidiary Endsleigh, based in Cheltenham. As well as the 94 positions in Whiteley, 27 car claims positions in Glasgow are to go.

Tony Emms, Zurich's UK chief claims officer, said: "We understand that these changes mean difficult messages for some of our employees, and we are committed to minimising the impact on people by reducing job numbers through redeployment, natural turnover and voluntary measures wherever possible.

"However, we have to make sure that we can flexibly adapt our operational model and processes to meet constantly changing market conditions. That also means simplifying our claims structure to ensure we have the right number of people to deliver our services. We will continue to evolve our UK personal lines business to ensure it remains competitive, efficient and profitable.''