Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is set to eliminate 600 jobs in its UK retail bank NatWest and shut down 32 branches, in a bid to cut costs.

The move will impact nearly 400 jobs in the Midlands, East and the North of the country, while 200 jobs will be affected in London and the South East of England, the Unite union said.

"With job losses across the country and surviving branches on reduced hours, there’s no doubt this latest round of cuts will hurt the bank’s customers as well as our members," Unite regional officer Lyn Turner said.

RBS has not yet confirmed the precise number of layoffs, but said that the decision is driven by changes in customers’ interaction with the bank.

"Banking has changed significantly over the last few years and the way our customers want to interact with us is also changing. We have to continually adapt to meet our customers’ needs and to ensure we remain viable and relevant both now and in the future," RBS said.

The latest round of redundancies brings the total number of UK redundancies made by RBS this year to about 1,500, with retail banking division the most affected.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.