PLANS to cut up to 450 jobs at the country’s biggest gas distribution company are “irresponsible and unnecessary” and must be urgently reconsidered, the Unison union warned today.

As part of a consultation which began this week, Cadent Gas has announced that many customer-facing roles will be axed despite past assurances that no such plans were being made, the union said. 

Unison stressed that the lowest-paid staff would be affected, including those who work in customer services and technical, scheduling and dispatch, repair planning and supervisory team roles.