Major cuts at Hewlett Packard

Computer giant Hewlett Packard is to axe 1,300 jobs in the UK and switch work overseas, union leaders said yesterday.

Unite branded the news "butchery", saying the cuts came on top of 900 job losses announced in June. They are to take place by the end of October.

Nearly 4,000 jobs have already been cut by the company in the UK over the past two years, Unite added.

National officer Peter Skyte said: "It is increasingly difficult for HP employees in the UK to plan for their futures when the threat of redundancy is continually hanging over their heads. Morale is at an all-time low.

The company said: "HP is in consultation with the appropriate representative bodies within the UK regarding potential workforce changes."

Hewlett Packard has a plant in Erskine, near Glasgow. A Unite spokesman said there were no details on where the cuts would be.