300 jobs to go at BT site in Northern Ireland

Stormont’s Economy Minister has expressed her disappointment following news that 300 call centre jobs are to be lost in Co Fermanagh.

BT/EE has confirmed its intention to withdraw 300 jobs from its Enniskillen site by October 2024. However, the company says 252 of the 307 workers to go have taken voluntary redundancy.

It comes just a month after hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the town in solidarity with the workers whose jobs were at risk at the EE, formerly BT, call centre.

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Staff members, some of whom have over 30 years of service to the BT group, were told of the decision on Tuesday morning with a proposed closure date of October 31st.

In February, staff were told the site might close and that a voluntary redundancy scheme was being opened.

In a statement, Economy Minister Deirdre Hargey said: “It is extremely disappointing that BT has decided to close its Enniskillen contact centre with a loss of 300 jobs.

“As a major employer in the region for over three decades, this decision is devastating for the workers and their families, and also for the wider community.”

She added: “In line with his commitment to regional balance Conor Murphy met with both CWU representatives and BT to retain these skilled jobs.

“He also supported Invest NI’s concerted efforts to work with BT to find an alternative site within Enniskillen so these jobs could be retained. I have asked Invest NI to ensure every step possible is taken to support the staff impacted.”

Fermanagh & South Tyrone DUP MLA Deborah Erskine has said the news is a major blow to the town. She added that regional balance in the economy was very important and that while some staff had signed up for voluntary redundancy and others had been offered a move to another location, it would not be a feasible option for many.

Mrs Erskine said: “Whilst the company are not being definitive, there appears to be no likelihood that the jobs in question will remain after the required consultation. This is a major blow to Enniskillen, with the loss of over 300 jobs, but primarily my thoughts are with all of those directly affected by the announcement.

“When the news first emerged in February, staff were told that the site was not likely to be a long-term location for a customer care centre, but that no final decision had been made. There has been a significant campaign since that time in an attempt to retain jobs in Enniskillen if possible.

“I am currently engaging with the Chief Executive of Invest NI and I am awaiting a meeting in relation to Enniskillen with the Economy Minister. The consequences for the local economy in Enniskillen as a result of such a decision to close the BT/EE site are far reaching,” she added.

In a statement, a BT Group spokesperson said: “Earlier this year, we announced a review of our contact centre in Enniskillen as part of our ambitious workplace transformation programme modernising and consolidating the number of offices we have.

“We recently closed our voluntary paid leavers offer for colleagues and over 80% of colleagues have taken the opportunity to take this up.

“We have now made the difficult decision to propose closing the site to the small number of remaining desk-based colleagues on 31st October and have entered into consultation with colleagues and trade union partners.

“We will continue to support all impacted colleagues throughout this process. These proposals will have no impact for customers. BT Group continues to make significant investments in the rollout of full fibre broadband and 5G mobile connectivity across Northern Ireland.”

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