Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Virgin Media is to axe 149 jobs as part of the NTL - Telewest takeover

Info from BBC News.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

I wondered when it was going to start.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Here's the Link........

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/6434175.stm

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

"Virgin Media stressed the potential job losses were not connected to the company's legal row with satellite broadcaster BSkyB"


Probably more to do with the fact that Virgin Media lost a net 37,000 customers in the last quarter and £122 million. (source; Bloomberg.com)

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Maybe the job losses were pencilled in pre sky row, part of the package that saw NTL become VM.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Good point..very likely.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

It's never fun when there are job cuts. Let's hope not too many jobs are exed and that those affected get work elswhere.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

I believe some new jobs were being created in Teesside because of redundancies in Manchester. Forgotten where I read that now :)

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

I am sure richard will put on a train to ferry manchester workers to teeside ;)

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Or some people may be prepared to move. Also there is already a direct train between the two. And btw... Teesside has two s's ;)

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Indeed it doess :)

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

it is a Virgin Trains route, isn't it?

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Transpennine Express - you'd have to get off at either Thornaby, Yarm or maybe even Middlesbrough and then get a bus to the Preston Farm Industrial Estate :)

There maybe a Virgin Trains service to Darlington, but that's a good half an hours drive away. Anyway, we digress... ;)

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

This was perhaps the primary reason for me leaving ntl in 2005 after more than four years.

Four years - three redundancies. I got sick of it. "Manchester is going to lose jobs to Coventry" then "Coventry loses jobs to Tesside" then "Teesside is losing jobs to Manchester" and it just goes round and round and round and round.

Each time a new management team comes in they have their own idea of structures and implement these with no thought for the effect on staff. It's all about egos, and it appears that hasn't changed.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Not even with a change of badge.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

On a technicality, 149 jobs "at risk of redundancy" is not the same as "149 jobs axed" (speaking as someone who has been "at risk" and "made redundant").

For example, if they have to lose 50 (made up number) Customer Service Assistant posts, all the people at that level are put "at risk"; then, through assessment, the 50 (or however many it is) are notified that they are redundant.

So hopefully for those involved, it won't be nearly 150 losing their jobs, though it will still be awful for those involved.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

At the time of the merger, VM, or ntl:Telewest as they were then stated that approx 6000 jobs would go by the end of 2007.

This announcement seems to be part of that restructure, and I will assume more will go when they finally consolidate their billing system. That is due in the last quarter of 2007.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

When Burch said in public "our service has been crap", that's when I knew the axe would swing...it's never nice when anyone gets fired, but with that statement and the fact it is one company now instead of 14 chancers, from the customers point of view it will get better and enable them to compete.

Before anybody has a pop at me, that's how the world works, I didn't make the rules!

149 of ntls worst managers hitting the bricks has some appeal to it, mind...

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Sorry but as someone who has recently been made redundant, not fired by Virgin Media can I just point out there is a world of difference between the two ;)

Also, there have been lots of shifting about of jobs and redundancies that haven't made the news, so another 149 at risk isn't really a shock anymore :(

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

So the annoucement was 149 managers going, or is this just your usual retoric?

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Well I just hope these job losses WONT affect my service, and Customer Care will be just as good as it is now.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

I'm sorry to hear of any redundancies, having been through the process myself. (In my case, I had six days notice before my job was terminated). I hope with these people that there is the opportunities to find another job fairly quickly.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

It was wishful thinking, but from my own personal experience, it's the poor bloody infantry who take the brunt.

I've seen enough of it trust me, and I did extend sympathy to those who will go...you seem to have missed it.

Oh, and it's "announcement" and "rhetoric", if we are being picky.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

A change of badge definately does not make a change in management style.. I went from United Artists to Telewest Communications to Telewest Broadband to NTL:Telewest before I got so sick of nothing changing that when they offered redundancy, I took it just prior to the VM transformation. and from what the people I used to work with have said it's still the same style, except now the reduced headcount is having an increased workload heaped on them to make up for the jobcuts......

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

I hope they drag the currently outsourced Virgin Mobile CS in house. Garlands is a shockingly abysmal operation, If they ditched Garlands and brought the jobs to Preston park in house it would be an improvement and would offset the loss from the ntl side.

Garlands operates Virgin mobile from a few floors of the CNE building in Middlesbrough but also is building a brand new centre a couple of hundred yards from the Virgin site at Preston Park.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Sorry to hear of such potential cuts at a time which should be great fun for those working there....bullish business attitude, part of the Virgin family, lots of talk about invenstment and improvement.

It does damage morale for a time when this happens, and right now staff should be feeling positive.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Of course in your case that's true Debbie, (grovel):D but it ain't always like that..

I remember one dump I worked for a while ago having a round of redundancies, and one useless little liability dodged the bullet by changing jobs-then that job ceased to exist, and they moved departments.
A week later a new round was announced, and I heard a manager say "I'll get the little blank this time, he's got nowhere left to hide!"

"Redundancy" can be a euphemism..

Another one to watch for is someone being put on a "special project", that normally means their fate is sealed.:cool:

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Garlands also does overflow for Virgin.net, but I think they may be Fujitsu.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

A woman on BBC News 24 says on Friday 'Virgin Media is to axe 149 jobs as part of the NTL/Telewest takeover.'

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Indeed it is part of the plan announced ages ago, they have got rid of a few, but far far less than 6000.... at the moment :erm:

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Redeployment, to where in the business?!! Relocate to Dudley, no thanks.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Phwoo, I was getting nervous then, seems Swansea is safe...for now o.O

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

ooo i know how the staff feel... :) I'm being made redundant on March 20th... The company i work for is moving to mexico for slave labour...

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

It will be until the local VM launch.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

My wife is one of the 149, they also made me redundant in November. Between me and my wife we have been in 90 days consultation or actually made redundant 5 times in the last 3 years!!:erm: Time to move on.......:D

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Yeah... Im one of the 149 too :-( on the final countdown! 86days to go :D

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Wow, this sucks completely...especially when they keep on employing and employing....

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

There are plenty of jobs going in Teesside, Customer Relations is recruiting because of all the deal chasers!

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Exactly, it's with retentions, don't think that many people will want to go for that to be honest. Yea it's more money but how long until they get the chop too? I don't really want to spend my day getting an earfull off customers who are only after a free ride.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Dont then, thats your personal choice but I can say that there is a lot of investment in CR and although there is no guaranty that any job is secure I would say with certaintly there will be a few years in it. And with regards to What department are you in? Thats pretty much any job on the phones.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

At least you had the 90 days warning. When I was laid off in October 2005, I returned from vacation, and went to head office for a meeting the following week, only to be told that my position no longer existed as from the following Monday - that was six days notice.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Teeside.... get off at Eaglescliffe Station you can then walk it to Preston Farm Industrial Estate in 5 mins.

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

Then you will be able to work out that I am not on the phones then ;) I'm in a none customer facing department. Check the subject of the thread and I think you will be able to work out which one :)

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

For the 149 of us that are being made redundant there is approx 50 jobs in Customer Relations for us to all, that have to apply and fight over :(

Re: Breaking News - VM axes 149 jobs.
 

After reading the previous posts I am glad to say that I am no longer a part of this job loss/constant change nightmare. After many years of employment, not in the cable industry, I saw a 'system' that was all too often used, it often went something like this.
Mega Corp wants to lose (say) 1500 jobs. They announce that due to restructuring etc that 3000 jobs will probably need to be axed. Enter the union, if those involved are fortunate? enough to have one, stating that this is unacceptable and that they, the union, will fight it all the way. Much midnight oil is burnt over 'in depth' discussions and 'studying of alternative solutions'. After a great deal of debate a 'settlement' is reached, between Mega Corp and the unions, and job losses are reduced from 3000 to 1500. Didn't they, Mega Corp and the unions, do well. Mega Corp have 'backed down', to a degree, and the union has 'saved' 1500 jobs. It's a win-win situation for all concerned, except the poor sods that are out of a job.
You'll have to excuse my cynicism, it's probably just an age thing:D