6 days ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Belfast call centre to make 40 roles redundant with jobs moving to South Africa
The employees of international call centre company Firstsource have been working on a contract with Sky Ireland.
A spokesperson for Sky Ireland confirmed the roles were being moved to South Africa.
He said that '40 roles will transfer from Firstsource UK to Firstsource South Africa' and that a consultation was now taking place with staff as part of the redundancy process.
The move marks the end of Sky Ireland's call centre operation in Northern Ireland, though the business is to continue to have a presence through its shops here.
One employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'Sky likes to promote itself as a brand that invests in its people, but the reality is they are abandoning loyal staff for cheaper labour abroad, with almost nothing to show for years of work.
"We believe customers and the public have a right to know how Sky treats the people behind the service they pay for.'
Firstsource has been asked for comment.
In March, 20 people at Firstsource in Londonderry were told their jobs were being made redundant, again, due to transfer of roles to South Africa.
An email informed employees on the YouFibre team that their role may be affected.
The email stated: 'We have been informed by our client, YouFibre, that effective from 7th April 2025, they will be transitioning the work we currently deliver to a new, yet unnamed client based in South Africa.
'This change will prompt a subsequent TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) transfer.
'We understand that this news may bring about questions and concerns. Please be assured that we are committed to supporting you throughout this transition."
Around 100 people left Firstsource in Northern Ireland 2023. It's understood that at that point, jobs were moved to India.
Another employee, who also wished to remain anonymous, claimed Sky Ireland had made an enhanced payment to departing employees at that point, in addition to redundancy payable by Firstsource as the staff's employer.
However, no enhanced payment was being offered at this point, the employee claimed.
