600 more RBS jobs set to go, says union

The trade union said the plans will see the bailed-out Edinburgh-based lender, which encompasses the Natwest brand, slash around 400 roles in the Midlands, East and the north with the rest in London and the south east.

RBS has not confimed exact figures but said that the way customers’ now interacted with the bank was changing.

“We have to continually adapt… to ensure we remain viable and relevant both now and in the future,” it said.

The redundancies would mean RBS has now cut around 1,500 UK jobs this year as chief executive Ross McEwan has pressed on with his strategy to streamline the business in the UK as well as draw back from its global commitments to focus on its domestic retail and corporate operations.

According to today’s reports, most of the latest cuts are in the bank’s retail division where the bank has already announced plans to axe about one in every 12 jobs as a result of its strategy to cut costs.

This has also involved the closure of branches as more customers migrate to online banking.

In February, RBS announced pre-tax losses of £1.98bn in 2015 - the eighth year in a row that it has made a loss.

The bank, which came close to collapse at the height of the financial crisis, is also still setting aside billions to cover past mistakes and fines.

“This is clearly difficult news for staff affected by these changes. We are doing everything we can to support them, including seeking redeployment opportunities wherever possible and ensuring that compulsory redundancies are kept to a minimum,” RBS said in a statement.

Unite Regional Officer Lyn Turner said the latest cuts would hurt RBS’ customers as well as its members.

“With every branch closure Natwest is slamming its doors on another community, dangerously undermining the bank’s long-term future,” she said.