Coronavirus: Oxfam GB set to make 200 job cuts amid funding crisis

Oxfam GB is set to make cuts to 200 jobs as part of a large organisational re-structure amid a blow to funding caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The charity issued a statement to staff yesterday, detailing plans for its re-structure, which will help the charity claw back some £16m a year, but will also result in the loss of 'more than 200 posts'.

Oxfam GB, which currently employs about 2040 people in the UK, estimates it has lost around £5m a month, due to the temporary closure of its shops and cancellation of fundraising events.

The reduction in income has come at a difficult time for Oxfam, which has just recently started to recover from considerable reputational damage.

Key structural changes include bringing together Oxfam GB's campaigning and international programme support to create an 'integrated impact division'.

The organisation is also planning to create a new 'supporter engagement' division, which aims to promote a more 'joined-up approach to supporter activities', ranging from shopping to social media to working with corporate partners.

The charity said it is looking to 'avoid redundancies where possible'.

“To be as effective as possible over the next decade, we are accelerating some of the changes we had planned. We will focus our efforts on delivering transformative programming in fewer places and on fewer issues so that we concentrate resources and maximise the difference we make," Oxfam GB chief executive, Danny Sriskandarajah said.

“These strategic changes are long planned but I am sorry to be adding to the concerns of our dedicated and talented staff during this difficult time," he added.

"The financial reality – not least the ongoing and uncertain impact of Covid – requires us to act now to ensure we live within our means. We will continue to consult fully and fairly with staff and their union representatives in reaching a final decision.”

Sriskandarajah said a 'key strategic aim' for the organisation is to ensure its work is 'always safe, feminist and, wherever possible, led by partners which are part of the social fabric in the places it operates'.

“I am immensely grateful to our supporters whose generosity is vital in funding our vital work – today’s announcement is about ensuring that during the next decade we make best possible use of the money they give us.”