TWO HUNDRED jobs at risk at Corby's biggest employer

A Corby firm that employs about 2,000 staff in Corby has announced 208 redundancies today.

RS Components, one of only five large-scale employers in the borough, has announced that consultation is to begin to make 208 roles redundant across Europe, with 81 new roles created.

An insider told the Northants Telegraph that the bulk of the 200 roles are expected to go from the Lammas Road base.

Staff were told the news at about 10.15am today (Friday, October 2).

A wordy email to workers from Chief Operating Officer Mike England said that the company must transition to a 'more mature matrix model', and that a 'fresh culture' needed to be created. The email said that the proposals will have the greatest impact in the product and supplier management, marketing and corporate departments.

It comes just weeks after bosses said 2019/20 had been a 'strong' year for the firm - with a profit of £215m. The pledged not to claim government funds for staff furlough, instead paying them out of company coffers.

Widescale rumours of future job losses at that time could not be substantiated.

A statement from RS Components this afternoon said: "Following a detailed review of our global business and considering carefully our future growth opportunities, we are proposing to simplify our operating model and create a way of operating that allows us to keep customers and suppliers at the centre of everything we do and to be as close as possible to them to better serve their needs.

"As such, we are proposing some organisational changes to deliver improved service, scalability and efficiency.

"We have now entered a period of consultation with a number of European collective bodies on our proposals. These proposals include consulting on around 208 redundant and 81 new roles across the UK and Europe, equating to less than 3 per cent of our roles in that region.

"These proposed changes will help to drive accelerated growth and move us faster towards our strategic goals."

The news follows the announcement that Corby's Roquette plant is going to close leading to the loss of 135 jobs, and the closure of nearby Amaray with 90 redundancies.

RS Components opened in Corby in 1984 in the wake of the steelworks closure and have grown to be the town's biggest and one of its most respected employers.