BT management meeting with Council a 'box ticking exercise'

A meeting has taken place between BT management and Derry City and Strabane District councillors and chief executive John Kelpie.

The move followed BT’s shock announcement last week it was closing its Derry operation with the loss of 140 jobs.

Commenting on the meeting which took place on Wednesday morning, Cllr Christopher Jackson (Sinn Féin) said there was “a lot of fear amongst those employees directly affected”.

Cllr Jackson was speaking at Wednesday afternoon’s meeting of Council’s Governance and Strategic Planning committee; he described the situation as “very bleak”.

“We wanted to ensure those that made the proposal to close the local office, affecting 140 jobs, were categorically clear there is a real ambition for growth within this Council area,” said Cllr Jackson.

“There are really exciting plans for our river front and there is a real momentum particularly in the field of artificial intelligence and IT and the field of connectivity,” he added.

Cllr Sandra Duffy (Sinn Féin) said nobody in the BT meeting “really felt it was a consultation”.

“It is more ‘this is the direction of travel and this is what is happening,’” she said.

“I know we have also met and discussed the issue with some of the employees of BT. A lot of those employees have been very loyal employees of BT for 20 years plus.

“In fact, BT has acknowledged the average length of service of their employees was 14 plus years on that site, which tells you the dedication people have to the site and to the company.

“So, it is really disappointing to see that BT is moving towards a centre of excellence or a hub, as they call it, in Belfast.

“I do welcome the fact BT is talking about the relocation of some of the [Derry] staff but it is disappointing that that is not going to incorporate all the staff who have been very loyal and given their time to do whatever BT needed over the last number of years.

“We need to do what we can to support the 140 people who are facing redundancy at this time.”

Cllr Rory Farrell (SDLP) said everyone at the meeting with BT was “united in anger and disgust at the prospect of 140 jobs leaving the city”.

He added: “While we welcome the engagement with BT, our view is it was a box ticking exercise. BT framed the discussion as ‘these are proposals that 140 jobs may leave Derry’. They aren’t proposals. This is a fait accompli.

“It is a done deal and unfortunately, these roles, some of them are moving to India, some of them are moving to Belfast.

“None of them are going to stay in this city and district. That is devastating for the people directly impacted.

“BT are also saying there is this enhanced redundancy package but it is capped at 12 years.

“So, if you’ve worked 15 years, 20 years, 25, 30 - in some cases there are people who have given their entire adult life to working in BT - very little of that is going to be reflected in the redundancy payment.

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“We think that is wrong. We as a group put that to BT management but they were having none of it whatsoever.”

Ald Derek Hussey (UUP) described the treatment of the BT employees as “absolutely scandalous”.

He added: “A skilled workforce still exists here and I hope through Business and Community there will be interaction with ministers at Stormont as to how they direct investment to this area to utilize those particular skills that have now been created.”

Cllr Gary Donnelly described the meeting with BT as “depressing”.

“The BT rhetoric was eloquent. It was fancy. But it said nothing. It was nonsense. I feel that we just wasted our time. It was a box ticking exercise. It wasn’t about modernising or strategically enhancing the business. It was corporate greed.

“If we came out of that meeting today feeling down or depressed, how must the loyal workers feel? It is a slap in the teeth to them and this district in general because people have helped that particular company to create vast amounts of wealth and when it comes to it, they are just treated like dirt.”