Union calls for action after Peterborough's RSA Insurance put 250 jobs at risk

Union leaders have warned of the ‘devastating’ impact if a Peterborough insurance company goes ahead with plans that could see 250 jobs axed.

The fears have been voiced by the Unite union after RSA Insurance warned yesterday (March 26) that up to 250 jobs were at risk at the Lynchwood House, in Lynch Wood, office.

It comes after the company, which has 450 staff in the city, withdrew from the personal insurance market.

But across the company, which operates offices outside Peterborough, it is feared more than 300 jobs are at risk.

Unite national officer Caren Evans said: “This announcement will be devastating for the Peterborough community.

"Unite is working tirelessly to explore every possible alternative to job losses and pressing for redeployment."

The jobs were announced as ‘at risk’ after one of RSA’s customers, Nationwide, opted in January to choose Aviva as its new service provider for its home insurance product.

It followed RSA’s decision to leave the personal insurance market, which was first announced in December 2023.

Aviva plans to manage most of the Nationwide work from its offices in Perth and Glasgow from the autumn.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The RSA workforce is reeling as these job losses are entirely unnecessary and these highly skilled workers deserve to be treated far better.”

Unite the union which represents staff employed across both RSA and Aviva wants the businesses to work together to ensure all options are explored to minimise job losses.

Councillor Julie Stevenson, one of the Orton representatives at Peterborough City Council, stated on the social media site X: “This is a worry.

"RSA is a big employer of local people in Orton and an important part of our local community as a business.”

A spokesperson for RSA: said: “We have been consulting with Unite the union for some time and these discussions will continue throughout this process.

"There will be a small reduction in roles in September, with the majority of the reductions throughout 2026 as the ramp down of existing Nationwide business will take at least two years to complete.

"We will seek to maximise redeployment opportunities as well as providing a full package of support to our people including outplacement help, hosting recruitment fairs and proactively contacting other local employers.”