BP To Cut Jobs Amid Oil Price Slide

Energy giant BP has signalled hundreds of job losses in the wake of the dramatic fall in oil prices.

The firm said it expects to shed 200 staff, while 100 contractors' posts will also be axed.

Unions fear the grim news is the first in a series of announcements from oil firms as a result of falling prices. BP said the job cuts are onshore roles, not offshore operations.

Trevor Garlick, regional president for BP North Sea, said: We are committed to the North Sea and see a long- term future for our business here. However, given the well-documented challenges of operating in this maturing region and in toughening market conditions, we are taking specific steps to ensure our business remains competitive and robust, and we are aligning with the wider industry.

Whilst our primary focus will be on improving efficiencies and on simplifying the way we work, an inevitable outcome of this will be an impact on headcount and we expect a reduction of around 200 staff and 100 contractor roles. We have spoken to staff and will work with those affected over the coming months.''

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said: The announcement from BP is a devastating blow to hundreds of workers in the UK energy industry and we are being warned that there is much worse to come.

RMT believes that the industry is making offshore workers carry the can for their failure to plan for lean times such as these. Instead they have gone for a short-term slash-and-burn approach that will have long-term implications for the future of the entire industry and the security of the UK's energy supplies.

RMT, along with our sister unions, is meeting with Oil and Gas UK tomorrow, where we will be pushing for a halt to the job cuts programme and an emergency package of measures to stave off the destruction of both jobs and infrastructure.

We are also continuing to lobby politicians for incentives to allow exploration, maintenance, safety and engineering development works to take place during this emergency period for the industry.''