A Highland MP is seeking a meeting with the Chancellor over proposed job losses at Inverness’s tax office.
The 10 employees of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) debt management and banking team face losing their jobs after the organisation reopened redundancy consultations in the Highland capital.
In April this year, the department shed 15 Inverness jobs when employees took voluntary severance.
As well as the potential 10 job losses in Inverness, 13 jobs are under threat in Fife, along with a handful in Aberdeen, Ayr and Lanark.
The employees are part of the PCS union, which represents the 200 employees nation-wide affected by the departments restructure to 18 regional offices.
Mr Hendry, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, has written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on behalf of the employees.
He said: “I am deeply concerned that the HMRC are taking yet more vital jobs out of the local economy and this recent round of redundancy action will leave 10 constituents without jobs.
“On virtually the same day I was contacted by the employees about the redundancy proceedings, I received a newsletter from the HMRC telling me debt was on the rise. It therefore beggars belief as to why a team of highly experienced debt handlers would be at risk of losing their job.
“I have written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to ask for an urgent meeting and I will continue to work with the PSC union representatives and the team at HMRC to try and secure these vital jobs.”
A spokesman for HMRC said: “In August we informed 200 colleagues, who do not currently have a permanent role within HMRC, that we will consult with the department’s trade unions to discuss their future. This may result in some of the people in this group receiving a notice of compulsory redundancy.
“No final decisions have been made yet and this announcement is no reflection on the contribution and commitment of the people affected. This is the start of a rigorous process to see whether we can find them new roles and we want to avoid the need for compulsory redundancies wherever we can.
“We will support people through the process and a variety of tools, including career guidance, will be made available.”