The future of staff based at the M&G offices at Kildean in Stirling is up in the air after a consultation began over cuts to around 70 roles.
The proposals have been launched by third-party firm Diligenta, who employ a number of staff at the site – and could see a total of 71 jobs being relocated to India.
Stirling MSP Evelyn Tweed has raised concerns over the move and has spoken to representatives from both M&G and Diligenta to ensure that support is put in place for those set to be affected.
Ms Tweed said: “I have recently been informed that Diligenta has announced proposals to cut a significant number of its non-customer facing roles based at the M&G office in Kildean.
“This will be concerning news for the 71 workers and their families who may be significantly impacted by this.
“I have since spoken with M&G to express my disappoinment at this decision, and it is my understanding that Diligenta is putting support in place for those facing redundancy.
“I will remain in direct contact with M&G about how these individuals are being supported, and have also reached out to Skills Development Scotland to see what extra support is available to those affected.
“My thoughts go out to everyone affected and my constituency office stands ready to help any constituent seeking advice.”
M&G, formally known as Prudential, have been a regular fixture in Stirling for decades – with the firm moving from its previous site at Craigforth to its new offices in Kildean back in 2022.
A spokeswoman for the company told the Observer the firm remained “fully committed” to its presence in Stirling, with around 600 colleagues currently employed and based at the Kildean site.
The M&G spokeswoman added: “Diligenta, our outsourcing partner, has announced proposals following a six-month consultation with its employees working within the M&G operations.
“Diligenta has confirmed to us that they have put in place support for impacted employees which includes sessions to help with training in areas such as interviewing and planning for seeking new roles on both an individual and group basis as well as online resources to assist with the transition.
“This will be delivered though Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) – the Scottish Government’s initiative for responding to redundancy situations.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Diligenta insisted that no formal decisions on job losses had yet been taken.
The spokesperson said: “We can confirm we are in consultation with our union representatives and at this stage no decisions have been taken regarding roles at Kildean.”