'Several hundred' in Atkins redundancy talks

Atkins are in talks with “several hundred” highways and transport division staff over redundancies in advance of government spending cuts.

According to a source at Atkins several hundred employees had been spoken to about possible cuts.

It had been rumoured that the 2,900 staff in the division had been sent an email warning of up to 20% cuts in staff numbers, meaning that nearly 600 jobs could go.

However, the Atkins employee said that no such email had been sent and that there were no figures yet on the number of jobs that would be cut.

Last week WSP announced that up to 50 jobs could be cut in its roads business, as consultants prepare for a slowdown in highways work caused by government cuts.

In an official statement Atkins said it was in talks with staff. “We are in discussion with colleagues in our highways and transportation business following anticipated public sector spending cuts on transportation projects.”

The firm said: “The uncertainty of the impact of UK public spending cuts continues and we are prepared for a period of tighter government spending.

“We continue to work with our clients to understand and work through the impact of any cuts they have to make. It is our policy not to comment on details of individual clients’ contracts or discussions with our colleagues.”