Hundreds attend rally in Enniskillen to save 300 BT jobs
THERE was a large turnout at a public rally in support of local BT workers last Saturday afternoon. Gathering at the Diamond in Enniskillen on April 13, hundreds listened with concern as a selection of speakers outlined the devastation that the loss of some 300 jobs at BT/EE will have on families, the local economy, and the wider community.
BT worker Dominic Kerrigan said the threatened closure of the contact centre has driven “a wedge” through the local workforce.
“We have had people that have been crying, we have people where they don’t know what to do,” he said.
“I am in a position where I live in a rural area, halfway between Belcoo and Garrison, where there is no massive influx of jobs.
“I have been at BT for 19 years. I don’t know anything else. This is where I planned to see out the last of my working days.
“Regardless, I am going to fight for that, I am going to fight to retain that as best I can.”
Erin Massey, of the Communications Workers Union (CWU), read out a statement from another BT worker, who wished to remain anonymous, detailing the “stress and anxiety” that the situation has caused.
“I don’t want to leave my job that I have been in 19 years,” the worker stated. “I don’t want to go. I want to work with my colleagues. I want to do my job.
“It is tough waiting for any news, and this situation is never far from my mind.
“For example, if we survive, what job will I do? Will EE try to do this again, how long will we last if Enniskillen does survive?
“How quickly can I get a job and when will that be? The thought of having to do a C.V. and interview, and the general feeling of being completely in limbo, is very worrying and uncertain.
“How long can we be kept hanging on before we get honesty and info from the company?”
‘Loyal workforce’
UUP MLA, Tom Elliott, described the actions of BT toward a “loyal workforce” as “totally unacceptable”.
He said: “You have been loyal employees to BT for many years and decades, so from a multimillionpound company, that makes multimillion pounds of profits, this is totally, totally unacceptable.
“They [BT/EE] are [going to] decimate a community in rural Northern Ireland. It is totally unacceptable and unreasonable of them to do so.
“You have been loyal and dedicated. I ask the same loyalty from BT to you as employees, to Fermanagh as a community, and to all of us as a community in the West of the province.”
The rally heard that BT management is due to meet with local politicians on April 19.
DUP MLA, Deborah Erskine, said she would be “demanding answers” at the upcoming meeting.
“I will be putting serious questions to them when we do meet, as this situation has been acceptable,” Mrs. Erskine said.
“This issue is too important to let go. There is no good reason for BT/ EE group to pull out of Enniskillen.”
Meanwhile, keynote speaker, Gerry Murphy, Assistant General Secretary of the Northern Ireland Congress of Trade Unions, described the situation in Fermanagh as an “outrage”.
“This situation is a cause of outrage all across Ireland, in Northern Ireland, and across the water,” he said.
“Workers from all professions can see what’s happening, and know what is in the hearts the minds of 300 families, who have been singled out and attacked by a corporation who have been happy to accept the welfare from the taxpayer for many years.
“The company has two names, EE and BT, but it’s one operation. It has acted, and is acting, disgracefully toward this town and its people, heaping stress and uncertainty on hard-working people, their families and the wider community.”