Closure is ‘double whammy’ for engaged work colleagues

CLAIRE LARRISSEY wept yesterday as she spoke about how her plans for a fairytale wedding to fiance, and work colleague, David Nolan have been thrown into confusion by the imminent closure of Talk Talk in Waterford.

“It’s a double whammy,” she said, the couple reflecting on the news inflicted on them and 573 colleagues on Wednesday which will leave them jobless in early October.

“I went to college in Maynooth and have an honours degree in maths and microbiology and worked here because it stopped a gap. Now I’m going to be on the dole and no prospects of any sort of job, even with a degree. I qualified in or around the time the recession started,” Claire said.

“I never had any idea it would be so big,” she said regarding the announcement of the full shut-down of the call centre in 30 days. “It really just feels like they woke up yesterday morning and decided, ‘right, Waterford’s gone’.”

David said he had “some inkling” of the way things were headed, having himself being previously made redundant at the nearby NTL call centre and from a mobile phone retailer. “It was nothing about what the company said, but more like how they reacted to things. I had my doubts.”

Booked in for an August ceremony and reception in 2012, David said their wedding plans may have to change, although they already have deposits paid on the venue, photographer, the band and more. “We were looking at having a meal for 80 or 100 people, family and friends, and now we’re looking at 15 or 20 people. We’re going to have to completely re-plan what we’re going to do.”

Their situation could be worse, they said, as they don’t have children and aren’t committed to a mortgage, but they’re still facing the prospect of losing two wages from their household.

“We were saving for the wedding because we had no interest in borrowing for it and wanted to do it in a responsible manner, but now our savings plan will be coming to an end,” David said. “We had a holiday booked to the Canaries, and it was going to be a treat for ourselves, but now it looks like the day we come back is the day this place will close. It will be our last holiday for a while.”