Barclays Bank plans to cut 1,700 jobs as it reduces the number of local branches in Britain, a spokesman said on Thursday.
The spokesman confirmed a claim from the union Unite, saying the way customers accessed their money “is changing rapidly” and fewer branches were required.
Unite said the Barclays had informed its workforce that it will be cutting 1,700 jobs, including cashiers, personal bankers, operational specialists, branch managers and assistant managers next year.
A Barclays spokesman said: “As a result of technological changes, we will be able to provide better service for our customers with fewer staff in our branches.
“Today we have outlined a voluntary redundancy scheme for those colleagues who are interested.”
Unite accused Barclays of making a “colossal mistake”.
“These employees deliver high levels of service that customers of the bank benefit from,” it said.
“Such a massive reduction will be very detrimental to the bank and will also be hugely challenging for the staff remaining.”