Ooooh a nice shiny room with nice shiny chairs and computers maybe to help the job search ? Unfortunately it's not going to hep when there aren't any jobs to go to...

What a totally naive comment Gold Bullet.....excessive use of the word "They" ...ie THEY had fat bonuses; THEY bust the company; THEY got cash. Criticise the chiefs by all means but not the average HBOS worker that dealt with the extra work thrown at them to the best of their ability and are now possibly to lose their jobs. As a say a naive comment that adds nothing to the debate

Gold bullet - do you really believe anything in this article? I'll tell you what will be done to help us - nothing. Our execs ruined the company and now the staff are left to scrabble about internally for an ever-decreasing number of jobs. Fair enough, it's the same as what's happening all over the country in other companies, and we neither expect nor deserve any extra help.

What this article is about is a local MP trying to look like she's doing something, and the PM trying to look like he cares. If you read anything more into it than that then you're easily fooled.

#3 and #4 - Ignore Gold Bullet, he's obviously one of those who has it in for anyone working at HBOS. He can't even spell 'queue' properly, I suspect he works at McDonalds.

#4 is absolutely right - the frontline workers who've been affected by this - not myself, so far - have received no extra help whatsoever. The only advantage they get here is that they are given priority treatment over others for INTERNAL vacancies. They have received no outside help from any MP at all. And giving priority to displaced workers for internal vacancies has always been the case at HBOS, it isn't something new brought about by the takeover/merger.

If I do lose my job, I'll be relying on nobody but myself and my own capable brain to get myself another job. Sceptical outsiders can think what they like about HBOS workers, but the majority here do an exceptional job and have continued to provide an excellent service to customers whilst dealing with the turmoil and uncertainty of being made redundant. I have nothing but respect for most of the people I work for, and no respect at all for those who are ignorant and narrowminded enough to judge us by the same standards as the HBOS 'fat cats' who are still getting away with their mistakes now.

Hi Gold Bullet,

I'm not sure what was said on here (HEC messageboard) during the initial takeover period as I only been coming on here since December, long after it all kicked off. I know during the week when it went pear-shaped last year there were all manner of rumours flying around, I guess denial during times of crisis is the way some people may have coped with the stress of uncertainty.

Whilst Mr Brown may wish to help, probably understanding the effect that the loss of jobs here will have on the town of Halifax, I doubt there is actually much he can do to change what is happening. The new owners will do what they have to do to make the savings that they need to make, in order to pay back the money they've been given. Which is as it should be, sad and worrying though it is to us all here.

Gold Bullet,
Do you work at HBOS, how do you know what we as Staff are told inside the building, aah as I thought, second hand information

Hang on, what's with all the insults flying about? Is it not possible to have a calm, well-reasoned discussion about anything on here without people resorting to poking each other with sticks and abusing each other?

Gold Bullet appears an appropriate name as he / she seems to shoot himself in the foot with his crass uninformed comments that when disputed,descend into personal insults. Such a shame that the ability to comment on articles is not used by some people to stimulate a genuine, intelligent debate. The loss of HBOS jobs in Halifax is sad for the economy of the whole town...as anybody with a rudimentary knowledge of ecomics would realise !

11.... Mandy, agree withyour sentiments totally.