FIVE Norwich Union employees in Ipswich are to lose their jobs under a restructuring by parent company Aviva, The Evening Star can reveal today.Aviva, which was formed last July from the earlier amalgamation of Norwich Union and the CGU insurance brands, has announced the loss of 900 jobs across the country.

FIVE Norwich Union employees in Ipswich are to lose their jobs under a restructuring by parent company Aviva, The Evening Star can reveal today.

Aviva, which was formed last July from the earlier amalgamation of Norwich Union and the CGU insurance brands, has announced the loss of 900 jobs across the country.

Norwich Union's Ipswich branch in Hyde Park House, Crown Street employs 230 people and a spokeswoman for Aviva told The Star the five jobs being cut will be across the range.

"The jobs going will be in HR, marketing, customer service – across the board. We restructured our business and the losses announced today are to cut back on duplications and to make our company fit for the future," she said.

The restructuring, which is likely to involve around 600 compulsory redundancies, includes the closure of a life and pensions administration office employing 280 people at Cheadle, near Manchester.

Another 300 general insurance posts will go at Norwich with 60 jobs lost at Perth and another 40 at Worthing, Sussex. Other offices could be affected across the country.

It is expected the Cheadle office will close by the end of March with most of the staff there being subject to compulsory redundancies. Work currently processed by the office will be transferred to other Norwich Union sites.

Around 630 of the job losses will be in general insurance, which provides customers with home, motor and travel insurance. The review of the division will be completed by the end of August, with half of the losses being compulsory.