Ordnance Survey job cuts 'make no sense', union

A union has called a national mapping service's plans to make almost 100 redundancies "short-sighted".

Prospect said the decision by Ordnance Survey, based in Southampton, Hampshire, to lay off 95 skilled staff was counter to the government's growth mission.

Negotiations officer Nick Radiven said the union was calling for a meeting to explore "alternatives", including "alternative sources of revenue".

Ordnance Survey CEO Nick Bolton said the decision "was not made lightly" but the changes would help them "navigate the current market challenges".

Ordnance Survey's roots trace back to military strategy and it has mapped every square mile of the British Isles, capturing not just the contours and geography of the nation, but of our lives for 234 years.

Its maps have been used by generations of ramblers, scouts and adventurers.

Mr Radiven called its data "essential" when new homes and infrastructure are being built.

"...so it makes no sense to make these cuts at a time when growth is a priority," he said.

"Prospect is calling on Ordnance Survey and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology to sit down with us and to explore alternatives to the planned redundancies, including increased central funding and looking at other alternative sources of revenue."

Today, the organisation has 1,400 employees.

Mr Bolton said it had undertaken "a comprehensive review" of its operating model as part of a new strategic direction.

"This work concluded that we needed to simplify our business to focus on our core task of delivering Great Britain's National Mapping Service, and providing location data and expertise to underpin critical economic and government activities.

"This has meant stopping doing some things and changing the way we do others," he said, adding that had resulted into "the difficult decision to reduce our workforce".

"This decision was not made lightly, and we understand the impact it will have on our employees and their families.

"We are committed to working closely with our trade unions and will support our impacted colleagues throughout this process."

Mr Bolton said the goal was to ensure "long-term sustainability".

"We believe these changes will position us more effectively to navigate the current market challenges and emerge stronger in the future."

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