Santander is not hiring 6,000 extra staff

Santander claims reports that it is planning to hire an extra 6,000 staff in the UK as part of its expansion plans are ‘incorrect.’

The 6,000 new jobs reported by the Financial Times are not ‘new positions’ but rather part of its normal recruitment requirements to replace people who have left, retired or need maternity and illness cover, according to the Spanish bank. Although Santander has refused to confirm the 6,000 figure as its annual turnover figure.

A spokesperson for Santander said: ‘Santander is currently recruiting up to 600 staff to new roles to meet business growth and to continue improving its service. These roles are in addition to its normal recruitment plans’.

‘Recent press reports suggesting we are recruiting people above this number is inaccurate. Like any other company, the bank recruits many people each year as normal course of business to meet the requirements of staff turnover,’ he added.

Santander has over 180,000 staff worldwide and just under 23,000 in the UK alone. The Spanish bank said it believes its recruitment requirements each year are 'typical of any large retail organisation'.

The news comes after state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland announced plans last week to cut another 3,500 jobs in the UK, a third of which are linked to the sale of RBS and Natwest branches to Santander.

The Spanish bank, which has recently come under criticism for its poor levels of customer service, bought 318 RBS branches last month as part of plans to expand its empire in the UK.

Santander already owns Abbey, Bradford & Bingley and is scheduled to complete its take over of Alliance & Leicester at the end of this year. There is also speculation about future plans to buy Northern Rock’s ‘good bank’ and Citigroup’s online bank Egg.