The National Trust has confirmed that it is looking to cut a number of jobs across the Isle of Wight as it tries to save £26million nationally in the face of rising costs.
The conservation charity says it is proposing to reduce its pay bill by around 6% of its total workforce as part of a nationwide consultation with staff, meaning around 550-660 jobs could go in the coming months.
Recent changes to National Insurance and the National Living Wage have been cited as key reasons for the financial pressure, highlighting the cost burden now faced by many large employers under the Labour Government.
The Trust has not yet confirmed exactly how many jobs could be lost on the Isle of Wight, where it runs several historic sites and attractions such as Bembridge Windmill, The Needles Battery and Mottistone Manor. They also look after Compton Downs, Newtown Nature Reserve, Culver Down, Borthwood Copse, St Catherine’s Down, St Helens Duver, Chillerton Down and Ventnor Downs.
Island Echo first enquired with the charity last Tuesday after being told that something was afoot at Mottistone Manor. Further eyebrows were raised when all of the Isle of Wight sites were closed early on Thursday afternoon – for what is thought to have been an all-staff meeting about the looming redundancies.
A 45-day consultation period with staff is about to begin, but the National Trust says it will work to minimise compulsory redundancies.
A spokesperson for the National Trust has said:
“We know how difficult this is for our people and are incredibly grateful for their skill and professionalism. We are working hard, with the union Prospect, to make the transition as painless as possible. This follows months of other cost-saving measures. We always want to avoid job losses.
Article continues below this advertisement “In the proposed changes we are prioritising the things people told us are important for the new strategy while protecting the things people value most about what we do now. This means reaching more people where they live with the nature and culture that helps everyone thrive, while continuing to provide the brilliant experiences visitors and members love at our places. We’ll still be caring for nature and heritage every day, as we have done for the last 130 years. The National Trust has existed for so long because it keeps adapting and planning for the long term.
“The proposed changes will allow us to keep on caring for and championing our shared historic and natural environment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, long into the future”.
The news comes as the Isle of Wight faces a series of job losses elsewhere, with major redundancies announced at Vestas, Wyld, Hovertravel, Kingswood, Snows Isle of Wight, Liz Earle and GTI Glazing over the past 6 months alone.
I suppose getting rid of the income from the Compton huts for the last 45 years wasn’t a good idea then.
You only need to look at their adverts on Facebook and in magazines plus read the comments to understand that many members have not renewed their membership and will not visit their properties due to the sheer wokeness of it all.
It would appear by the woke adverts that there are no straight white people visiting any National Trust properties anymore, and there are a lot of angry people out there because of it because it is not true to life.
For me, I don’t care for their style of adverts as it makes no difference to me where I choose to go. Mottistone Manor does a nice cream tea which I enjoy every weekend.
Put the entrance fee and membership prices down and they will attract more non-members, plus go through the salaries of the management on each estate and within the National Trust itself, and cut them if they are too high.
The National Trust should be run by volunteers who have a passion for all things old, they shouldn’t need paying a large wage, and this could make or break the Charity.
The saying of {Go woke or Go broke} hasn’t worked here as they will end up penniless.
Or it could be that people are fed up with a group that still allow “fox hunting and hare coursing on its many lands”and still somehow turn a blind eye despite photographic evidence?after all it’s our money financing the Upper Class barbarity and it’s time to say stop it or no more funding from us!so take your ill informed comments and shove them where National Distrust are shoving Joe Publics money “in a deep dark hole”!.
Ironic that this woke organisation is suffering because of super woke Liebour.
Commiserations to the hard working staff, doubt the richly rewarded management will be affected.
Their comments that most users of the Downs are privileged white people and ethnic minorities are not made welcome made me so angry that my wife and I cancelled our subscriptions and they can rot as far as we are concerned. Four other couples we know also cancelled. Woke rubbish spouted by idiots who probably never set foot on NT lands and make stupid assumptions based upon biased and racist information from the usual suspects.
Rachel strikes again.
Two words… Labour Government.
They are killing this country.
That is their plan and sadly it’s working.
If you want to support the National Trust and have a genuine interest in preserving historical sites you would do so. I am, frankly, appalled by the politicised journalism (I use the term loosely) of this piece and the fact that such a high proportion of the comments are focussed solely on what they refer to as “wokeness” as a reason for no longer supporting the Trust rather than the preservation of our country’s treasures for future generations.
Thus proving, as if proof were needed, that this this government’s ‘growth’ policies are economically illiterate.
Cut management pay and bonuses would be a better approach, then make admission more affordable to attract greater numbers.