Employees at Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters spoke yesterday of a betrayal and voiced anguish at the “drip-drip” manner in which job cuts were being unveiled.

Staff leaving Gogarburn — a corporate village with its own shops and restaurants on the outskirts of Edinburgh — said that news of the losses had fuelled “deafening chatter” inside.

Callum Craig, 19, a client support worker, said that he was already looking for a new job within the banking group. “To be honest, we all thought Stephen Hester [the bank’s new chief executive] was pretty cool until today,” he said.

“People just wish we could get all the announcements out the way instead of the drip-drip effect. There’s no guarantee they’ll find 9,000 people who want to leave, and those of us who haven’t had any serious training spent on them through the business school will be first to go, I reckon. It’s annoying when you know it’s not your fault you might lose your work.”

Another worker, a telephonist for six years, said that although she might consider early retirement younger colleagues were disillusioned. “It’s really a feeling of betrayal more than anything,” she said. “I get on with my line manager very well and I feel sorry for her when people’s performance dips when there’s a big announcement. It’s been a really big distraction today. The chatter was deafening. Everybody was talking about whether they’ll take a cut package.”

At the RBS branch in St Andrew’s Square in Edinburgh, staff refused to talk to the media, with one insisting that they would be fired. However, a customer and former banker, who asked not to be named, said that the cuts were a positive move towards a more successful future for RBS.

Consultations have begun with staff representatives and the Unite banking union, which reacted furiously to the news. RBS employs more than 100,000 in Britain. Rob MacGregor, Unite’s national officer, said that it was appalled by the cuts. “These employees are totally blameless for the current position which RBS is in, yet they are paying for the mistakes at the top of the bank,” he said. Asked if it would support strike action, the union said that it accepted with regret that the bank had to cut costs.

Ron Hewitt, the chief executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said: “It has been obvious that the cuts were coming for many months. Whilst we share with those who stand to lose their jobs a deep regret at the move, external observers will appreciate RBS really has no alternative. The important thing is that Edinburgh and Scotland’s rightful reputation for financial prudence is restored as soon as possible, and a shrinking of the sector is an inevitable part of that.”

The pay-off

— The backlash over Sir Fred Goodwin’s £16 million pension will mean a smaller retirement pot for thousands of Royal Bank of Scotland staff who are being made redundant

— Sir Philip Hampton, the chairman, has banned the top-up scheme that meant some employees known as “good leavers” were entitled to a pension reflecting more years of service than they actually worked

— RBS has three months to agree redundancy deals. Most staff are believed to be on a month’s notice. They will also be entitled to statutory minimium redundancy payments of £350 a week for every week they have worked at the bank

— Staff younger than 22 will get half a week’s money for each year served. Those over 41 will get a week and a half for every year they have worked at the bank

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