More jobs help pledged for call centre workers
MORE jobs will go in two phases at Virgin Media’s flagship Swansea site before it shuts for good this autumn.
A series of jobs fairs are planned in a drive to help people back to work who are currently based at the Enterprise Zone site.
It was home to 552 Virgin Media workers and 220 workers with subcontractor Sitel.
But the first lot of jobs started to disappear in November of last year.
The telecommunications company is forging ahead with a £40 million plan to base its operations on four instead of eight sites over the next three years, the firm has said 470 customer operations roles based at the site will transfer to either one of its partners or the soon-to-be revamped Wythenshawe site near Manchester.
And another 100 roles will also be disappearing abroad to its overseas operations, which are believed to be based in Manila in the Philippines and also in India.
The Welsh Government has vowed to do what it can to offer employment elsewhere to employees at risk. Mike Hedges, AM for Swansea East, has kept the pressure on at the Senedd in a bid to ensure there is hope for the workforce in the future.
He highlighted how the Welsh Contact Centre Forum has helped a taskforce arrange jobs fair to help those at the Virgin site.
He then asked Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance, for an update on what has happened about getting into staff employment, and what further action will be taking place.
Ms Evans said: “Thank you very much for your question, and for the way in which you have consistently brought this issue to the Government’s attention, and to the floor of this Assembly.
“And I declare an interest as well, in the sense that I represent many constituents who are affected by the decision of Virgin in Swansea, as is my colleague, Julie James.
“The first tranche of those staff did leave in November, and there will be a further two phases planned for this year.
“Virgin Media’s outplacement support team has taken on responsibility for providing staff with on-site access to key partners of our Welsh Government’s taskforce, including Careers Wales, the Department for Work and Pensions, and local employers. The jobs fair in October took place on the Virgin Media site, and there are further jobs fairs planned to coincide with the additional tranches of staff who will be leaving.
“So, those further jobs fairs will be timed in relation to those further tranches, as I say, of people who will be leaving the company.”
Mr Hedges added: “I welcome the work already done by the Welsh Government to support the workers of Virgin Media.
“I have spoken to many employees who are grateful for this support. However, we must ensure that the remaining workers get the support right through to the closure of the site later in the year.
“We need to support these people to find alternatives for it will be damaging to everyone if people end up unemployed at the end of this process.”
A Virgin Media spokesman did not wish to comment.