--- title: "City & Guilds Staff Edge Toward Strike as New Owner Eyes…" canonical: "https://www.metaintro.com/blog/city-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026" language: "en" author: "drashtigarach" published: "2026-06-04T09:57:25.000Z" modified: "2026-10-02T19:33:35.990Z" --- [Back to Blog](/blog) [News](/blog/tag/news)[Layoffs](/blog/tag/layoffs)[Strike](/blog/tag/strike)[Jobs](/blog/tag/jobs)[Education](/blog/tag/education) # City & Guilds Staff Edge Toward Strike as New Owner Eyes Hundreds of UK Job Cuts City & Guilds opens a redundancy consultation with 75 roles at risk and up to a third of 1,300 UK staff in doubt. Know your rights and what comes next. [![Drashti Garach](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:40:40/q:72/plain/images/5719d740-e510-42bc-8017-e040d145f35f_1766029465094.png)Drashti Garach @DrashtiGarach](/blog/author/drashtigarach) [June 4, 2026](/blog/archive/2026/06)Updated October 2, 202612 min read ![City & Guilds Staff Edge Toward Strike as New Owner Eyes Hundreds of UK Job Cuts](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:1200:675/q:78/plain/images/kai.9UXGAKSu.png) [https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=City%20%26%20Guilds%20Staff%20Edge%20Toward%20Strike%20as%20New%20Owner%20Eyes%20Hundreds%20of%20UK%20Job%20Cuts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcity-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=City%20%26%20Guilds%20Staff%20Edge%20Toward%20Strike%20as%20New%20Owner%20Eyes%20Hundreds%20of%20UK%20Job%20Cuts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcity-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026)[http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcity-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcity-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026)[https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcity-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026&title=City%20%26%20Guilds%20Staff%20Edge%20Toward%20Strike%20as%20New%20Owner%20Eyes%20Hundreds%20of%20UK%20Job%20Cuts](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcity-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026&title=City%20%26%20Guilds%20Staff%20Edge%20Toward%20Strike%20as%20New%20Owner%20Eyes%20Hundreds%20of%20UK%20Job%20Cuts)[mailto:?subject=City%20%26%20Guilds%20Staff%20Edge%20Toward%20Strike%20as%20New%20Owner%20Eyes%20Hundreds%20of%20UK%20Job%20Cuts&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcity-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026](mailto:?subject=City%20%26%20Guilds%20Staff%20Edge%20Toward%20Strike%20as%20New%20Owner%20Eyes%20Hundreds%20of%20UK%20Job%20Cuts&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fcity-and-guilds-staff-strike-uk-job-cuts-2026) City and Guilds, one of the most recognizable names in vocational training and qualifications, is now at the center of a job-cutting dispute that has put hundreds of its own staff on edge. According to reporting from the [Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/03/city-guilds-faces-legal-and-industrial-action-over-plans-to-cut-hundreds-of-jobs) and the union [Unite](https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2026/june/city-guilds-facing-legal-and-industrial-action-over-dishonest-redundancy-plans), the awarding body has opened a formal redundancy consultation that immediately places around 75 roles at risk, while Unite warns the broader plan could eventually cut close to a third of the 1,300-strong UK workforce. The union has threatened both legal and industrial action, accusing new owner [PeopleCert](https://www.peoplecert.org/) of being dishonest about its intentions. For [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com) readers, the story is a sharp reminder that even the institutions that train the workforce are not immune to restructuring, and that knowing your redundancy rights matters more than ever. ## Who Owns City and Guilds Now and Why Does It Matter? [City and Guilds](https://www.cityandguilds.com/) has a history stretching back nearly 150 years, founded by the City of London livery companies to serve the skills needs of the Second Industrial Revolution. For generations it has been a fixture of British technical education, issuing qualifications in trades from electrical installation to hospitality, care work, and construction. That heritage makes the current turmoil all the more striking, because few names carry as much weight in the world of practical, hands-on certification. In autumn 2025, the commercial awarding and skills training side of the business was acquired by PeopleCert, a Greek qualifications and assessment firm best known for delivering certifications like ITIL and PRINCE2. The transaction, reported by trade outlets including [The PIE News](https://thepienews.com/peoplecert-snaps-up-city-guilds-training-arm/), moved the City and Guilds awarding organisation along with brands such as [ILM](https://www.i-l-m.com/), Gen2, Intertrain and The Oxford Group into PeopleCert ownership. The deal was financed in part through 150 million euros in funding from [Eurobank](https://www.eurobank.gr/en) plus existing cash reserves. The remaining charitable arm was rebranded as The City and Guilds Foundation, leaving the commercial operations under entirely new control. Ownership matters here because the dispute centers on how a new parent company treats inherited staff. When a business changes hands in the UK, employees are protected by transfer regulations that require honest consultation and the sharing of information about the buyer's plans. Those rules exist precisely so workers are not left guessing about their futures while a new owner reshapes the organisation around them. Unite argues that PeopleCert has fallen short of those obligations from the very start, setting up the confrontation now unfolding in public view. ## How Many Jobs Are Actually at Risk? The numbers tell two stories. In the immediate [formal consultation](https://feweek.co.uk/75-roles-at-risk-at-city-guilds-as-new-owner-confirms-restructure/), City and Guilds has confirmed that around 75 roles are at risk, with the majority concentrated in central support functions rather than front-line teaching and assessment. That is the figure the company itself has put on the table, and it frames the cuts as a contained back-office adjustment rather than a sweeping overhaul. Unite, however, believes this first wave is only the beginning. The union has said it expects PeopleCert ultimately plans to shed roughly one-third of the 1,300 UK staff, which would put the total number of jobs in jeopardy firmly in the hundreds. Unite points to an investor presentation that suggested relocating some roles to Greece, where the union says personnel costs run up to 50 percent lower than in the UK. If that strategy plays out across several rounds of redundancy, the eventual headcount reduction could dwarf the initial 75 and reshape where the company's work physically sits. The gap between the official 75 and the union's projection of hundreds is exactly why this story has drawn attention across the further education and skills press, including coverage from [FE Week](https://feweek.co.uk/city-guilds-threatened-with-legal-action-over-disgraceful-staff-cuts-plan/). It is the difference between a routine support-function trim and a structural shift in where and how the work gets done. For staff, that uncertainty is its own form of stress, because nobody yet knows which side of the line their role will eventually fall on, or whether a job that survives this round will exist in a year. Prolonged ambiguity of this kind is often as damaging to morale as the cuts themselves, pushing some employees to start job hunting before any decision is even made. ## Why Is Unite Threatening Legal and Industrial Action? Unite has escalated quickly, and its grievances are specific rather than vague. The union accuses PeopleCert of advertising new positions in both Greece and the UK at the same time it is consulting on redundancies. Under UK rules, staff at risk of redundancy are generally entitled to first refusal on suitable alternative roles, so hiring externally while cutting internally is a serious allegation that goes to the heart of whether the process is being run fairly. The union also says PeopleCert has been unlawfully withholding key information during the transfer consultation process, information that workers and their representatives need to assess whether the redundancies are genuinely necessary or simply a cost-cutting preference. Unite has demanded job guarantees, a recruitment freeze, and extended good-faith consultation, and it has signaled it may seek involvement from the conciliation service [ACAS](https://www.acas.org.uk/) if talks break down. The union has also raised the prospect of withdrawing from the consultation entirely, a step that would harden the dispute considerably. Sharon Graham, Unite's [general secretary](https://www.unitetheunion.org/who-we-are/our-leadership/), did not mince words, saying that "the way PeopleCert is treating these workers is absolutely disgraceful and will not be tolerated." Regional officer Peter Storey was equally blunt, stating that "PeopleCert has been dishonest from the moment it took over City and Guilds." The combination of legal threats and a possible industrial-action ballot turns what might have been a quiet restructuring into a public fight, one that other awarding bodies and their staff are likely watching closely for the precedent it could set. ## How Has PeopleCert Responded to the Backlash? PeopleCert has pushed back on the characterization of its conduct. In statements relayed by sector outlet [FE News](https://www.fenews.co.uk/work-leadership/unite-union-threaten-city-guilds-with-potential-legal-and-industrial-action-on-redundancy-plans/), the company said it remains committed to conducting a meaningful collective consultation and stressed that no outcomes have been predetermined. The [change of ownership](https://trainingindustry.com/press-release/workforce-development/city-guilds-sells-commercial-operations-to-focus-on-social-impact/) has reshaped the business, and in other words, the company maintains that the process is genuine and that the final shape of any redundancies has not been decided in advance, contrary to the union's framing. That framing is common in restructuring disputes, where employers emphasize ongoing consultation while unions argue the decisions are effectively already made. The interim leadership, including interim chief executive Andy Moss, now has to manage both the operational integration of City and Guilds into PeopleCert and a workforce that feels blindsided by the speed and tone of the changes. How the company handles the next few weeks of consultation will shape whether this stays at the bargaining table or moves to a picket line, and whether it can retain the experienced staff it still needs. For job seekers and current employees watching from outside, the takeaway is that a company's public reassurances and a union's read of the same situation can diverge sharply. The truth usually emerges only as documents are disclosed and the consultation runs its course. That is a useful reminder for anyone navigating a restructuring of their own, because the official message and the lived reality on the ground do not always match, and the paperwork tends to be more revealing than the press statement. ## What Does the Skills Sector Stand to Lose? There is a deeper irony worth sitting with. City and Guilds exists to certify the very [skills the UK economy needs](https://www.thecdi.net/news/city-guilds-sells-its-awarding-and-skills-training-businesses), from construction and engineering to care work and digital trades. When an organisation built around workforce development cuts its own people, it raises uncomfortable questions about the financial health of the skills infrastructure itself, and about whether the bodies meant to future-proof everyone else are struggling to future-proof their own staff. The awarding-body world has been under financial pressure for years, squeezed by changing funding for [apprenticeships](https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide), shifting employer demand, and the cost of maintaining accreditation across hundreds of separate qualifications. PeopleCert's move to consolidate operations and look to lower-cost locations reflects a [broader trend in education and assessment](https://learningnews.com/news/learning-news/2025/city-guilds-sells-commercial-operations-to-focus-on-social-impact), where digital delivery, automation, and offshoring are steadily reshaping where work happens. The risk is that experienced staff who deeply understand UK trades, regulations, and assessment standards leave the sector entirely, taking institutional knowledge with them that is slow and expensive to rebuild. For the millions of learners and employers who rely on City and Guilds qualifications every year, continuity matters enormously. A drawn-out dispute, or a hollowed-out support function, can ripple out to slower service, delayed certifications, and frustrated training providers who depend on the awarding body to keep learners progressing. The stakes go well beyond the 75 or so people in the current consultation window, touching colleges, apprentices, and employers who treat a City and Guilds certificate as a trusted signal of competence. ## Is This Part of a Wider Wave of Restructuring? City and Guilds is not an isolated case. Across the UK and beyond, employers under margin pressure have increasingly turned to consolidation, automation, and lower-cost locations to defend profitability, and education and assessment are no exception. When a private buyer acquires a long-established institution, the playbook often looks similar, with central functions targeted first, decisions made at a new headquarters far from the affected staff, and consultation periods that feel rushed to the people inside them. What makes the skills sector distinctive is that its product is human expertise. Unlike a factory that can swap one supplier for another, an awarding body depends on assessors, standards specialists, and support teams who carry years of accumulated judgment about what good work looks like in a given trade. Strip too much of that away and the qualification itself can lose credibility with the employers who hire on the strength of it. That tension between short-term cost savings and long-term reputation sits at the heart of disputes like this one. For workers in any field facing acquisition, the pattern is worth recognizing early. A change of ownership frequently precedes a restructuring within twelve to eighteen months, even when initial reassurances are warm. Treating an acquisition as a signal to refresh your skills, quietly test the market, and document your value is not paranoia, it is prudence. The City and Guilds staff now in consultation are a reminder that the safest assumption after any takeover is that change is coming, and that the workers who prepare for it weather it best. ## What Does This Mean for Your Career? If you work in a sector touched by consolidation, automation, or foreign acquisition, the City and Guilds situation is a useful case study in staying prepared rather than caught flat-footed. The first lesson is to understand your rights. In a redundancy, you are generally entitled to a consultation, to consideration for [suitable alternative roles](https://www.gov.uk/redundancy-your-rights/suitable-alternative-employment) within the business, and in many cases to [statutory redundancy pay](https://www.acas.org.uk/your-rights-during-redundancy/redundancy-pay) based on your age and length of service. Knowing those entitlements before a consultation begins puts you in a far stronger position to ask the right questions and to push back if something looks wrong. The second lesson is to keep your skills and your professional network current even when your job feels secure. Restructurings rarely announce themselves in advance, and the people who land on their feet are usually the ones who were quietly building options the whole time. Keeping a polished record of your accomplishments, maintaining genuine relationships across your industry, and watching for early signals like hiring freezes, recruitment in cheaper locations, or offshoring pilots can buy you precious lead time before any formal announcement lands. That head start is often the difference between a smooth transition and a scramble. Finally, do not underestimate the value of collective representation and shared information. Whether or not you belong to a union, the City and Guilds case shows how organized scrutiny can force disclosure, slow rushed decisions, and protect entitlements that individuals struggle to defend on their own. Even outside a formal union, comparing notes with trusted colleagues and carefully documenting what management says during a process can matter a great deal if that process later turns contentious. Preparation, knowledge of your rights, and a strong network remain the most reliable defenses any worker has when the ground starts to shift beneath a familiar employer. ## People Also Asked ### Q: How many City & Guilds jobs are at risk? A: City & Guilds has confirmed around 75 roles are at risk in its current formal redundancy consultation, mostly in central support functions. Unite the union warns the wider plan could eventually affect close to a third of the 1,300 UK workforce, which would put hundreds of jobs in doubt over time. ### Q: Who owns City & Guilds now? A: The commercial awarding and skills training side of City & Guilds was acquired by PeopleCert, a Greek qualifications and assessment firm, in autumn 2025. The deal moved brands including ILM, Gen2, Intertrain and The Oxford Group to PeopleCert, while the remaining charitable arm became The City & Guilds Foundation. ### Q: Why is Unite taking legal and industrial action? A: Unite accuses PeopleCert of withholding key information during transfer consultations and of advertising jobs in Greece and the UK while cutting roles at home, which it says breaches rules giving at-risk staff first refusal on suitable roles. The union is demanding job guarantees and a recruitment freeze and may involve ACAS. Looking for your next opportunity? [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com) connects professionals to roles beyond the job board. 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