STAFF facing redundancy following the acquisition of Airtel Vodafone by rival telecoms operator Sure have been left “upset, distressed and let down”, a union official has told the JEP.
Seven positions have been deemed surplus to requirements after last year’s acquisition, which was approved by the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority in August.
Lucienne De La Mare, HR director at Sure, said: “We have been evaluating the operations of the combined business and have concluded that seven fewer roles are needed.
“Throughout this process we have prioritised what is best for our customers and 250-strong Channel Island team – as a large local employer we recognise our responsibility to our entire team and we’re giving our full support to those who are impacted.”
Ms De La Mare said new roles had been made available to members of the Airtel team would only be advertised to Sure staff – unless no applications were made or no suitable candidates found.
“Throughout the whole process, we have communicated clearly with the Airtel team that we’d be doing all we could to minimise redundancies, but that fewer roles may ultimately be needed,” he added.
James Turner, regional officer for Unite the Union, said: “We have seen a common theme from the Airtel staff in feeling understandably upset, distressed and let down by the employer, mainly over the fact that Sure did provide assurances that originally everyone under the Sure brand would be included in the pool of staff.
“The Airtel staff now feel left out to pasture – is this really the way any reasonable employer should be treating its staff?”
Mr Turner said Unite would be pressing the telecoms firm over measures to minimise the impact, including offering voluntary redundancy options ahead of compulsory redundancies, enhanced packages for those losing their jobs and time off to seek other employment.
