BT’s plan to close site risks 140 jobs in city

About 140 jobs in Aberdeen could be lost under BT’s plans to close its building next to the railway station.

New Telecom House is still in use by BT staff, but they only take up about 10% of the building’s space.

Last night, a spokesman for the telecommunication service provider confirmed it has started a consultation process with around 140 of its office-based employees at the South College Street premises, which BT proposes to shut due to the cost of lease renewal.

Although no decision has yet been made, the firm is looking at relocating its employees to Dundee if required.

“I’ll be urging BT to do all it can to protect jobs here”

Kevin Stewart, the SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, said: “I’ve scheduled a meeting with BT for Friday in response to this announcement, and I’ll be urging BT to do all it can to protect jobs here in Aberdeen.

“While no decisions have been made, clearly jobs are on the line and I will be doing everything that I can to safeguard the livelihoods of folk in Aberdeen.”

A spokesman for BT said: “We’ve started to consult with a small number of office-based colleagues and their union representatives on the proposed closure of New Telecom House.

“We only use about 10% of the building and the lease renewal is costly.

“No decision has been made, but if the closure goes ahead as we propose, we’ll look at all options including helping colleagues find roles within BT Group sites such as Dundee – which we announced as a key location last week.”