Services catering faces job cuts
The catering divisions of the armed services are this week assessing the full effect of the Government's Front Line First defence costs study, the results of which were announced last Thursday by secretary of state for defence Malcolm Rifkind.
Certain sites will close altogether, while at others catering units may be run by civilians or contracted out.
Uniformed staff will be hardest hit by the cuts. Because they cost more to recruit and train, they will be employed mainly in catering operations which could be sent to war.
Worst hit will be the RAF, which is less advanced in its civilianisation and market testing programme than the army and navy.
It will lose 440 catering staff at the six sites marked for closure in the study. Other stations still being assessed for closure, such as the RAF helicopter training school, could bring another 240 catering job losses.
On top of these losses, the 1,000 jobs already scheduled for market testing within the RAF will be at greater risk than was originally expected, according to RAF director of catering Group Captain Martin Armstrong.
Those jobs - largely front of house staff in officers' and sergeants' messes - were to be part of a six-year market testing programme, allowing staff losses to occur through natural wastage. Because of pressure to cut costs sooner they will now be brought forward and will involve redundancies, said Group Captain Armstrong.
The army was less perturbed by last week's announcement. It conducted its own costs study two years ago and is already bringing its operations in line with Government plans to civilianise functions wherever possible.
The army has already undertaken large-scale redundancies this year, including 800 chefs, and has a full market-testing programme underway. "We are yet to receive the finer details about closures, which would obviously bring job losses, but in the broad picture I don't see the defence costs study bringing any major changes which we don't already have underway," said Colonel Phillipe Rossiter.
Head of navy catering Commander Brian Purnell was unfazed by the study. "We have already contracted out as far as we can shore-side," he said.
But while the overall picture is uncertain for services personnel, for private contractors it will inevitably mean more contracts coming to the market.
"More contracts being market-tested is great news," said Jim Reeves, divisional managing director of ARA's combined services division.
But the closures and the moving of functions between bases is a mixed blessing, the full impact of which is still to be assessed.
"We have contracts at some of the sites which are to close, so there we will lose business," said Mr Reeves. "But I would expect some functions to move to other stations where we have contracts."
