Knxus takeover to create 230 west coast jobs

THE 175 Castlebar workers who were left in the lurch when they were not paid on Christmas Eve are to get 125 new colleagues, following a takeover of Knxus by Contract Partners.

The move by Contract Partners will result in the number of people employed in its west-coast call centres jumping to 500 in the coming weeks as the company also brings forward plans to employ an extra 105 workers at its Shannon facility which only opened on November 17 last.

Staff at the British-owned Knxus call-centre in Castlebar were horrified over the festive period when they realised that monthly salaries averaging 1,500 had not been lodged in their bank accounts. The money was finally delivered, however.

Contact Partners, which provides sales and customer care services to the financial services and telecoms sectors, is a member of the Netdecisions Group.

Yesterday, the company said it is to recruit 125 new staff in Castlebar, Co Mayo, following the completion of its deal to takeover the Knxus operations there.

The company also announced it is bringing forward recruitment plans for Shannon, Co Clare, announced by Tánaiste Mary Harney last November, where it needs 105 people.

"The existing 175 staff in Castlebar will be retained, making Contact Partners one of the largest employers on the west coast of Ireland when it reaches its target of almost 500 staff 170 in Shannon and 300 in Castlebar," the company said.

Co-founder of Netdecisions Charles Mindenhall said: "Contact Partners has now become a leading force in front office process outsourcing and we look forward to their continued success led by their dynamic management team."

Contact Partners chairman John Mayo said: "We are delighted with this acquisition. The facility and the staff are first-rate and the additional capacity in Castlebar and Shannon will allow us to service new business that we are winning both in Ireland and the UK."

Contact Partners provides outsourced sales and customer care services for many leading companies in the financial services, telecoms and government sectors, as well as general business in Ireland and Britain.

"Contact Partners is looking for confident and articulate employees, who enjoy a sales environment, to represent the company's blue chip client list. Both graduates and non-graduates are sought. A comprehensive training programme will be provided along with attractive salary and holiday allowance," the company said.