84 jobs to go as call centre shuts down

CORK was dealt another major jobs blow yesterday when a large call centre announced it is shutting down within weeks with the loss of 84 jobs.

Customer service employees at the call centre of credit card insurance business CIMS in Mahon left in tears after a short meeting yesterday morning during which they were told the company was transferring all operations to its main call centre in Portsmouth, England by March 19.

The company was renting space from RCI but yesterday’s announcement will not affect RCI’s operations.

CIMS staff were told they could stay with the group if they transferred to Portsmouth. Angry staff said afterwards they felt nobody would be prepared to move.

The news came as a surprise to staff who were outraged at the manner in which they were told.

“Management called us into a meeting and after 30 seconds they were gone, having told us we had lost our jobs,” said one staff member.

“This is just disgraceful, it’s like they’ve known for months and they just kept us out of the loop. Most people here have families to support. There are five or six people pregnant, many have families and children. What are they supposed to do now?” she said.

Most staff members who voiced their anger yesterday wished to remain anonymous as they are now hoping to get work with RCI.

One worker said: “I was just on the phone to my team leader and told her. I was the first to tell her.”

Another employee only found out when she heard a news bulletin on the radio.

Emily Murphy has been with the company since it opened six years ago and said it was a fantastic place to work.

“This is disappointing because we have all become friends here. I would have liked a bit more gratitude for our time there and it’s a sad day but not the end of the world,” she said.

According to employees, they were offered redundancy packages of four weeks work for two years’ service.

A CIMS spokesman said the decision was made following a thorough review of operations. He also confirmed recruitment will be starting in Portsmouth to fill the new positions.

“It was a difficult decision but one which was taken with a lot of care and consideration,” he said.

“It’s about making sure the business is effective moving forward. The decision is more about sharing IT services, telephony, training and so on.”

He said management would work with staff on an individual basis over the coming weeks to outline their options.

He declined to discuss redundancy terms but said they would be an “enhancement” on statutory redundancy.