08/09/2011

Kenny Calls Talk Talk Notice 'Discourteous'

Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, has hit out about the short notice given to workers that will lose their jobs following an announcement that a Waterford call centre will close.

Talk Talk announced, yesterday, the closure of their Waterford facility within 30 days. Hundreds of job losses are expected as part of the company’s plans to consolidate its call centre operations.

Mr Kenny has spoken out and said: "The least they could have done is give some signal in advance that such a devastating move was planned.

"It was discourteous, the people and workforce of Waterford served the company well."

Talk Talk staff have been offered the chance to meet management to discuss transfers. About 80 positions are available to staff willing to move to the UK.

Meanwhile TalkTalk chiefs briefed Richard Bruton, the Jobs Minister, but it is understood he was told the decision could not be reversed.

Mr Bruton had urged management to consider giving workers, enterprise chiefs in IDA Ireland and government more time to find a new business for the facility.

"My thoughts are with the workers impacted by this announcement by TalkTalk, as well as their families," he said.

The IDA has said it has begun efforts to find alternative employment for the 575 people being let go from Talk Talk.

Management at the Talk Talk call centre in Waterford are to begin meeting staff today, today marks the start of a 30-day consultation period between workers and management at the facility.

It is estimated that 3,000 jobs have been lost in the Waterford region in the past four years. The local Chamber of Commerce has warned that the Government take action to prevent Waterford from becoming an unemployment blackspot.

The Talk Talk in Waterford is currently one of the largest employers in Ireland’s south east, and manages the customer support function for customers based in the UK.

Established in Waterford in 1998, the centre has grown from 30 employees, to its current status as an award-winning contact centre employing 575 people.

Earlier this year a number of support jobs in Waterford were cut.

See: Fears Over 500 Irish Job Losses

(LB/BMcC)

Related Northern Ireland Recruitment News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

07 October 2011
Talk Talk To Close Its Doors
The Talk Talk call centre in Waterford will today shut down with up to 600 people set to be left unemployed by this evening. This follows an announcement last month that the company would close its Irish base within 30 days. The Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton pushed for an extension to the 30-day notice period but the request was later refused.
18 October 2011
€250k Pledged To Re-Train Talk Talk Workers
A €250k investment will be made by the Irish Government in a bid to re-train the former workers at Talk Talk in Waterford, it has been announced. A state-funded enterprise group will foot the bill after Skillnets trains more than 100 of the workers made redundant this autumn. They are to begin new training programmes this morning.
09 December 2009
Jobs Boost For Waterford
Telecoms company Talk Talk have announced plans recruit an additional 60 staff at its customer service and sales centre in Waterford. The company already employs 700 people at the centre, which was established outside Waterford city in 1998. It is understood that 50 of the new posts will be full-time and ten will be part-time.
12 March 2013
Further 100 Jobs For Waterford City
Fine Gael Waterford Deputy, Paudie Coffey, has welcomed the announcement of a further 100 jobs for Waterford city. The jobs are to be created by Eishtec, which is a Waterford based call centre company that was established less than two years and that has grown to a point now where it will employ over 500 people in the city.
07 September 2011
Fears Over 500 Job Losses
Hundreds of job losses are expected in Waterford following an announcement that a call centre will close its Irish base. It is understood the job losses will be at the Talk Talk call centre in Waterford. Management at the centre in the city have announced the closure of the facility within 30 days.