AA staff offered £18,000 to leave for failing standards

HUNDREDS of Automobile Association patrol staff face being cut after failing to meet performance standards, a union claimed yesterday.

The general union GMB said some 450 patrollers, including several in Scotland, were being offered a "take it or leave" 18,000 offer to leave their jobs.

The union claimed that the AA was seeking to replace skilled staff with lower-paid workers. It said that patrollers in Glasgow and Dumfries and Galloway were among those affected.

The GMB has linked the move to the AA's parent firm's attempts to refinance its 4.8 billion debt burden over the next three years.

The AA said fewer than 200 of its 3,000 patrol staff were affected by the latest of its "performance monitoring exercises". A spokeswoman said those involved would be given a choice of a "training and support plan" or an 18,000 leaving payment.

She said that only a handful of staff were affected in Scotland. She added: "If patrols are not performing, we have to do something about it."

Required performance standards included technical and driving skills, as well as customer satisfaction.