‘Picture is rosy’ for staff seeking work

Mar 19 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

Applegarth has nothing to say

FORMER Rock boss Adam Applegarth had no comment on the day it was announced a third of staff were to go.

Dressed in a brown sweater over a purple T-shirt, the 45-year-old, now bearded, arrived home in Matfen, Northumberland, in his BMW X5.

Asked: "Do you have anything to say about 2,000 staff losing their jobs?" he replied: "No comment."

Mr Applegarth was educated at boarding schools in Durham and Cumbria before Durham University, where he met his wife Pat. He became the Rock’s youngest chief at 39, having joined as a management trainee.

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Uncertainty pervades Gosforth

SHOPKEEPERS in the area surrounding Northern Rock’s Gosforth headquarters yesterday expressed anxiety about the knock-on effects of the redundancies.

With the bank’s employees flooding on to the High Street on their lunch breaks and after work, there were fears the local economy could suffer.

Jane Wilson, the owner of sandwich shop Bocadillos in Gosforth High Street, said: "We have quite a few Northern Rock staff coming here in their lunch breaks, so it might affect us.

"In the future, the whole health of Gosforth in general will suffer.

"For shopkeepers in general I think it is worrying because a lot of the workers use shops on the High Street – there’s something for everyone."

At lunchtime, Rock workers were refusing to be drawn on their future.

One employee, who did not want to be identified, said: "We are still waiting to find out what is happening exactly. It’s all up in the air at the moment. The feeling around the place is not good."

Another worker, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said: "No one really knows what’s going on at the moment. I don’t want to say anything else."

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Buoyant mood in firms will generate vacancies

THERE are signs that the region’s job market is big enough to absorb the influx of ex-Rock employees.

CBI North East director Sarah Green believes the region is in good shape to weather the latest mass-redundancy hammer blow.

She said: "We’ve been involved in a meeting at One NorthEast along with a number of regional stakeholders to find the best response for the region, Northern Rock and its employees.

"We see one of our key roles as signposting regional employers who have opportunities available for skilled staff towards the relevant public bodies looking to support Northern Rock workers." In finance, while almost all institutions have been hit by the credit crunch, there are some players still recruiting here.

One is Newcastle Building Society, which plans to create 500 jobs in the region over five years.

It has already recruited about 20 former Northern Rock management and is keen to take on other staff from the bank.

Newcastle’s chief executive Colin Seccombe said: "The North East is home to a highly skilled workforce in the financial services sector, and we support the One NorthEast-led employment taskforce to help find new jobs for as many former Northern Rock staff as possible.

"We are currently actively recruiting for a wide range of roles that could present an opportunity to some Northern Rock staff that may choose to take up redundancy offers.

"We plan to maintain steady growth and currently have around 50 vacancies, with further vacancies planned as this growth is realised."

A recent survey by recruitment agency Manpower found 11% of North East employers plan to hire between April and June this year, against a national average of 6%.

Manpower regional manager Melissa Coutts said: "After a shaky start to the year employer confidence is booming again in the North East with employers intending to keep hiring this spring."