Firstsource 'competitor' handling redundancy negotiations

Major concerns have been raised locally regarding the recently announced redundancies at Firstsource Solutions call centre, based in the city’s Springtown Business Park.

In a somewhat bizarre arrangement, it appears Firstsource’s 'competitor', Results CX, is handling the Derry redundancy negotiations.

In late May, the global business process management company revealed it was beginning a “redundancy consultation process” with its employees in Derry and Belfast. It was believed the company was seeking 200 redundancies.

At the time, a spokesperson for the company said: “The changing priorities of one of our clients, Sky, means they are making proposals to adjust services currently being delivered across both sites.”

It has since emerged that three senior Firstsouce staff members who left the firm prior to the announcement of the redundancies have taken up employment with a company called Results CX.

In addition, Derry News understands the Firstsource Derry jobs are currently being transferred to Results CX, which is now run by the aforementioned former top Firstsource employees: its chief executive officer, financial director, and head of human resources.

In terms of the ongoing “redundancy consultation process”, Derry News has learned Firstsource is involved in the meetings with employees but is insisting it is only in a “hosting” capacity.

An employee who wished to remain anonymous said: “This does not make sense to us because, up until October 1, 2023, we still work for Firstsource. Firstsource is relinquishing any responsibility for any actions. The company is actually telling us to contact Results CX if we have any questions. Firstsource does not seem to be doing anything.”

Derry News has been told Firstsource employees believe there has been “an element of collusion” and that jobs in Derry have been undercut by Results CX.

Claims have been made that the former Firstsource staff now working within Results CX were party to commercially sensitive information regarding Firstsource’s Sky contract.

In its recently released video: ‘The Shocking Unanswered Questions Surrounding 200 Job Losses in Derry!’, Derry Call Centre Campaign highlighted the fact that, in January 2017, Firstsource signed a ten-year deal to expand its existing partnership with Sky.

Joe Moore, the campaign’s co-founder, questioned why the contract had ended four years early, necessitating 200 redundancies in Derry.

Derry News contacted Open Strategic Communications, the Belfast-based PR agency appointed by Firstsource Solutions.
The paper was seeking a comment from Firstsource regarding the allegation that three of its senior staff members had recently taken up employment with Results CX, the company taking over Firstsource’s contract with Sky.

The reply received from Open Strategic Communications read: “Thanks for your patience. Unfortunately, this is not something that Firstsource could comment on, you would need to direct any queries regarding this to Results CX as it's within their remit.”

Derry News has sent its enquiry to Results CX on two occasions. At the time of going to press, no replies had been received.