Legal & General workers back industrial action over office closure threat

LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Workers at British insurer Legal & General have voted for industrial action over the threatened closure of a regional office, trade union Unite said on Wednesday, their first such move since the 1970s.

The insurer, which is in the middle of an efficiency drive to save costs, is considering closing its Kingswood office in the southern English county of Surrey, which employs more than 1,500 people.

Staff voted for industrial action short of a strike, which can include refusing to work overtime, in protest at the possible closure. Staff at the firm had not taken industrial action for 40 years, a Unite spokesman said.

"Unite is calling on Legal & General (LSE: LGEN.L - news) to work with us to explore all options that can keep Kingswood open," Unite regional officer Ian Methven said in a statement, adding that L&G had already agreed with the union to keep the office open until 2018.

A final decision over whether to close the office would be taken shortly, according to an L&G spokesman.

Legal & General said in November it was ahead of its target to make 80 million pounds ($117 million) in cost savings for 2015. It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) has previously said savings could come through cutting headcount and that it was reviewing its UK and U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . locations.

Most jobs lost from a closure of the Surrey office would be transferred to other L&G offices in England and Wales, the spokesman added.

The company employs around 7,500 people in Britain. ($1 = 0.6836 pounds) (Reporting by Carolyn Cohn; Editing by Sinead Cruise and Keith Weir)