Leaving ntl today

[poolking]

Good luck and don't forget to let us know how you are getting on.

[Escapee]

I hear there are more to follow, the news should be released soon!

I have PM'd info to a few members so no-one can say I am talking bulls**t!

[scrotnig]

Originally Posted by Escapee

I hear there are more to follow, the news should be released soon!

I have PM'd info to a few members so no-one can say I am talking bulls**t!

Not heard anything on the 'grapevine' although that only covers my region really, doesn't rule out anywhere else, though again I've not heard a sausage.

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by Mark B

Not heard anything on the 'grapevine' although that only covers my region really, doesn't rule out anywhere else, though again I've not heard a sausage.

These are nationally, and definate. Rumour that more are to follow.

It will be less than 90 but close, so they can get away with 30 days. I think they made 89 redundant last time they did that, it looks like they could be doing it in batches of less than 90 now.

[scrotnig]

Originally Posted by Escapee

These are nationally, and definate. Rumour that more are to follow.

It will be less than 90 but close, so they can get away with 30 days. I think they made 89 redundant last time they did that, it looks like they could be doing it in batches of less than 90 now.

I don't know who sanctions this. In Manchester far less than 90 of us are being made redundant, (about 35 I believe) yet we still got the 90 days, it's actually company policy to do this as far as I know, regardless of the legal minimums.

When you consider they actually warned us of this action back in April, we actually got, in effect, over nine months notice. This for me has always been one of the company's good features...if they DO have to get rid of your post (happened twice to me now) they seem to be quite fair in doing so.

To wit, they needn't have told me til October 1st but actually told me on April 5th.

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by Mark B

I don't know who sanctions this. In Manchester far less than 90 of us are being made redundant, (about 35 I believe) yet we still got the 90 days, it's actually company policy to do this as far as I know, regardless of the legal minimums.

When you consider they actually warned us of this action back in April, we actually got, in effect, over nine months notice. This for me has always been one of the company's good features...if they DO have to get rid of your post (happened twice to me now) they seem to be quite fair in doing so.

To wit, they needn't have told me til October 1st but actually told me on April 5th.

Well I was told last night that the people affected will be getting 30 days notice, they will know before the end of this month and will be gone before christmas. I think the affected people will be getting confirmation next week, I'm fairly sure they never got 90 days last time it happened in that department but I wouldn't like to put my money where my mouth is.

They are looking at cost cutting and need to have people gone before the Christmas, I can only guess it's something to do with the quarterly figures. If I was a cynical person I would say that getting rid of 90 managers will go a fair way towards paying for the 500 poeple they are taking on in manchester.

I guess the lowest paid would be 30K plus 400 a month car allowance! That would probably pay half the wages for the 500 they are taking on in manchester

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by Mark B

I don't know who sanctions this. In Manchester far less than 90 of us are being made redundant, (about 35 I believe) yet we still got the 90 days, it's actually company policy to do this as far as I know, regardless of the legal minimums.

When you consider they actually warned us of this action back in April, we actually got, in effect, over nine months notice. This for me has always been one of the company's good features...if they DO have to get rid of your post (happened twice to me now) they seem to be quite fair in doing so.

To wit, they needn't have told me til October 1st but actually told me on April 5th.

Got it confirmed last night, it's not company policy the latest managers getting the bullet are currently on 30 days notice. This has been the case in operations in the past.

I am gloating (along with many of the techs) about one manager in particular!

two out of four managers are being made redundant in South Wales, and apparently the head of department have to re-apply for their jobs, with some lbeing made redundant there as well.

[Scarlett]

Originally Posted by Escapee

Well I was told last night that the people affected will be getting 30 days notice, they will know before the end of this month and will be gone before christmas. I think the affected people will be getting confirmation next week, I'm fairly sure they never got 90 days last time it happened in that department but I wouldn't like to put my money where my mouth is.

Last time they hit my old co's cambridge office (different division) the made 19 people redundant. (20 is the point where notice is required.)

It was done in true corperate style as well. You went to the meeting with HR, were given your last ciggy and stood in front of the wall while they lined up the firing sqad... when they got back to there desks all of their Unix ID's and most of the windows access had been revoked. I believe that they did get the months notice as per there contract but it made there job 'interesting' as they could pretty much surf and type things, that was it.

The redundancies were always at Christmas because thats when they knew from the previous years results that they hadn't made enough of a profit*.

Scarlett.

* Actually our division never made a profit but then wehn you work in support and the profit is driven by what the salesman has agree to charge for the support there isn't much you can do (especially whn at least one company was on faverable terms of £1000 a year for 8-6 support mon-Fri)

[GazzaB]

Well I'm certainly not missing the uncertainty! Infact who would have believed working for yourself would have more certainties than working for a major employeer (ntl)
Anyone affected I wish them the best of luck with their futures... Don't look back there are better things out there!

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by Scarlett

Last time they hit my old co's cambridge office (different division) the made 19 people redundant. (20 is the point where notice is required.)

It was done in true corperate style as well. You went to the meeting with HR, were given your last ciggy and stood in front of the wall while they lined up the firing sqad... when they got back to there desks all of their Unix ID's and most of the windows access had been revoked. I believe that they did get the months notice as per there contract but it made there job 'interesting' as they could pretty much surf and type things, that was it.

The redundancies were always at Christmas because thats when they knew from the previous years results that they hadn't made enough of a profit*.

Scarlett.

* Actually our division never made a profit but then wehn you work in support and the profit is driven by what the salesman has agree to charge for the support there isn't much you can do (especially whn at least one company was on faverable terms of £1000 a year for 8-6 support mon-Fri)

I was told that it's happening in every region, I guess it will not get reported here cos it's not callcentre or support.

In the Wales region 2 out of 4 managers are getting the bullet, three ar on the same level and one is next level up. (A middle tier position) I understand the middle tier position is going and it leaves just 2 lower positions. The position next up from the middle tier manager is also under threat, this manager has to re-apply because out of 6 heads of region only 5 have a job.

I also understand the switch manager has to re-apply because some of those positions are going as well.

It looks like the numbers of managers will be going back to what it was 4 years or so ago, just as it was before they had the badly titled planning for growth restructure that culled the big numbers. Many of these managers positions were created at that time, some were a fiddle to find slots for the boys, or girls as it was in 2 instances in Wales.

All the guys there working on the network are hoping its the middle tier manager who gets the bullet, he's been treating everone like s**t and going around for a long time giving the impression he is a valuable asset to ntl. He has been telling people how he is destined for higher things in ntl and telling them where the door is if they dont anything about the job and added pressure, now he's looking for friends because he needs to find a job. the rumour is that he will not step down a position and apply for the lower roles, many are hoping this is true.

It can be guaranteed that the ones who think ntl can't cope without them and sing from the company hymsheet usually take the biggest hit when they realise they are just another employee number at the end of the day. his boss apparently has no time to help him at the moment because he's too busy trying to save his own position which is also under 30 days notice.
This is the fourth christmas out of the last five that redundancies have taken place, I heard it as a rumour a few months ago about these redundancies, and pm'd a few people about them. it was said then that ntl wanted to offload before christmas.

I have also heard that there is a big shakeup in national/corporate support, the two teams that appeared to be seperated as Cable modem and Digital TV will now be re-hashed as one team looking after the "Forward Path" and the others looking after the "Return Path" I just wonder how that will be very affective with each team blaming the other. Obviously the two teams can't combine because it would break down someones empire

There are people in those teams who have diversified and spent a lot of time specialising in one area of technology, now it looks as though the learning curves will be lost as they now become responsible for another technology.
The same happened after I left the company, and it ended up with square pegs in round holes as a result.

I heard today both sides are trying too offload their unwanted engineers and managers onto the other side!