黑洞社区

Atkins UK and Europe boss Nick Roberts has reassured his firm鈥檚 pensioners their pension plans are safe despite a 拢265m deficit in the company鈥檚 pension schemes.

In its financial results filed today, the engineer revealed its pension liabilities currently stand at 拢265.3m, reduced from 拢298.4m the previous year.

Speaking to 黑洞社区, Roberts (pictured) said Atkins has a 鈥渧ery firm and clear鈥� plan in place to tackle the deficit and has a commitment to 2025 to reduce its pension scheme liabilities.

He said: 鈥淭he company remains robust and resolute in its commitment to the pension scheme. We鈥檙e in a very different place to some of the other schemes.鈥�

It comes after rival engineer Halcrow, owned by CH2M, revealed its pension scheme has a deficit of 拢600m.

Halcrow has offered its pensioners a new scheme which will cut their annual increases from 5% to the level of CPI inflation 鈥� currently at 0.3% - but avoid the scheme going into the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), which would see members of pension age receive full payments but no increases and those not of pension age take a 10% cut in payments.

Roberts said there was 鈥渁bsolutely no chance鈥� Atkins鈥� pension schemes could head into the PPF.

Roberts also said Atkins was in favour of a remain vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

It comes after Atkins鈥� global chief executive Uwe Krueger told Reuters his main concern regarding a potential Brexit was the 鈥渁vailability of talent鈥�.

Roberts echoed those views and told 黑洞社区: 鈥淎s an organisation we believe staying in the EU is important for many reasons, and one of those is the free movement of labour.

鈥淎nything that impedes that is obviously an issue for our business.鈥�

He added: 鈥淲e hire a lot of skilled people from across Europe, and clearly that liberal movement of labour is important. That鈥檚 the main thing that informs our view [on the referendum].鈥�