POLITICIANS are seeking assurances over the future of Greenock’s 800 EE call centre workers following confirmation that BT is taking over the company.

BT’s bid to buy EE for £12.5 billion has been cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which means it will go ahead shortly.

The CMA concluded after an investigation that competition would not be affected.

Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan said EE representatives had contacted him about the deal.

Mr Cowan said: “I have asked to be kept fully aware of this acquisition and what it specifically means for Inverclyde and the workforce at the centre.

“Alongside this, I will be meeting with the chief executive officer of EE at Westminster on Thursday, and will be asking further direct questions of the company and the merger.

“I will also be contacting BT to ask what reassurances they can provide to the workforce that the jobs in Greenock will all transfer over when the acquisition happens.

“It’s vital no jobs in Inverclyde are lost during this deal.”

Greenock & Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil said constituents had raised concerns with him last year when the merger was first proposed.

He said: “There is always a slight concern about how such mergers will affect local operations, but it could offer exciting opportunities for the future.

“I will be contacting EE to seek reassurances about the future. There is no immediate reason to be negative.

“This is a massive employer which has built up steadily. We want to see the relationship build, and to be assured the site is very much a part of the future.”

A spokesperson for EE told the Tele the takeover was “great news”.

He added: “We have no information at the moment about any new structure.”

Asked if assurance about the future could be provided to the Greenock workforce, he said: “It’s business as usual.”

The Tele asked BT to comment on how Greenock could be affected, but the company could provide only a general statement about the merger.

BT chief executive Gavin Patterson said:  “The combined BT and EE will be a digital champion for the UK, providing high levels of investment and driving innovation in a highly competitive market.

“I have no doubt that consumers, businesses and communities will benefit.”

The Cartsburn centre was under the T-Mobile banner until the formation of EE in 2010, after T-Mobile and Orange merged.

When the BT deal was first proposed last year, an EE spokesman told the Tele that EE and BT provide different services, so the deal was not simply bringing two mobile companies together.

He said: “Greenock is a very important part of EE.”