Cable firm announces plans for 350 redundancies

UPC, which owns the cable operators NTL Ireland and Chorus, is seeking 350 redundancies.

The Waterford NTL call centre, where 110 people are employed, is expected to be closed.

Of the job losses ‘under 30’ will be in the Cork area affecting Chorus Sports and customer and financial services, a company spokesperson said.

NTL and Chorus employ in the region of 950 people throughout the country.

Yesterday, the company announced what it termed a re-organisation across both NTL Ireland and Chorus.

Talks between workers and management on the redundancies have yet to be concluded.

The fundamental focus of the redundancies were about improving the way both businesses are run, the company said.

UPC said the company aims ultimately to consolidate both operations under a single brand.

UPC Ireland, the new parent company of cable operator NTL Ireland and Chorus, began the first phase of its restructuring programme in early 2006. This resulted in the formation of the new management team, led by Robert Dunn, the company’s CEO.

Yesterday, Mr Dunn said: “The objective is to create a strong national operator for television, internet and telephony services. Our customers expect us to provide the highest possible quality of service in an increasingly competitive environment. I am confident that this transition will achieve that.”

UPC, he said, constantly reviews its performance to ensure it is organised as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“A thorough technical and organisational analysis has been made to avoid duplication and inefficiencies within the overall organisation. As a result, certain activities, currently undertaken by NTL Ireland, will be transferred to Chorus and vice versa,” he said.

The re-organisation will result in a transfer of work to different locations and a reduction of the total number of functions between Chorus and NTL Ireland.

“Consultations with the workforce and employee representatives regarding this transition are ongoing. The aim is as much as possible to find appropriate alternatives within the new structure for those employees affected but a certain number of redundancies cannot be excluded. We estimate that there may be up to 350 redundancies commencing from September 2006 and concluding in March 2007. On the other hand, we may also be able to create up to 140 new positions,” he said.

Across Europe, UPC Broadband offers telephony services in the Netherlands, Hungary, France and Switzerland and recently added Austria, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic to its market list.