Jersey Telecom plans redundancies

Jersey Telecom has announced plans to offer staff voluntary redundancy as part of its plan to cut costs.

It's part of the company’s ongoing strategy to reduce costs and evolve the overall skills mix within its workforce.

Bob Lawrence, CEO of JT Group Ltd, said: "In order to remain competitive in a challenging sector, it is vital that we manage our costs and ensure that we have the right skills to take the business forward.

"Reducing overall staff numbers is not a new strategy for us and in 2005 we offered a voluntary redundancy package that was successful in helping us to re-shape the business. Since then, there has been an ongoing focus on reducing the overall number of posts, mainly through natural turnover as staff have left the company or retired."

The scheme, which will be offered to all Jersey Telecom staff, was announced internally after consultation with Union Representatives.

Staff will be able to express their interest in applying for voluntary redundancy over a six week period, starting on Monday 14th September.

Once all applications have been received, they will be assessed before a final decision is made about whether to grant voluntary redundancy.

Mr Lawrence said: "The performance of the Group remains strong, but we face a challenging future due to increased competition. Lowering staff costs is one area where further savings must be made and this scheme will help to ensure our long-term success and protect the best interests of our customers, our employees and our shareholder – the States of Jersey."

Tim Langlois, Senior Representative for the GMB Union, said: "We fully understand Jersey Telecom’s rationale for running such a scheme, particularly in the current economic climate. We will be working closely with the Jersey Telecom management team to ensure our members who are accepted on the scheme receive as fair a package as possible."
(from ICFEED)