Firm's new deal won't save jobs

Russell Steele • Published 25 Jun 2009 14:00

WORKERS at the TSC call centre in Greenock are angry after learning a new deal will NOT save their jobs.

Just days before the last staff at the Cartsburn contact centre are laid off, TSC has signed a call-handling contract with satellite broadcaster Sky - but all the new work will be going exclusively to TSC"s Falkirk HQ.

Dismayed Greenock employees told the Tele they felt the announcement was a "final kick in the teeth".

One said: 'We were told Falkirk has got a major contract but no work is coming here.

'The company"s been saying since January they were trying to secure work but they read us a statement acknowledging it had been a difficult time since April.

'That was when Falkirk were put on redundancy notice - and that just makes us wonder. We were told Falkirk was Sky"s choice but we feel devastated.'

Today TSC confirmed the Sky deal would not have any spin-offs for Greenock. They said the "size, scope and requirements" requested by their new customer could only be catered for at Falkirk.

A spokesman said: 'Sky was one of the new customers which the company is chasing. TSC is still pursuing other work and is still hopeful those attempts will be successful.

'The Greenock site will be mothballed but it could be reopened quickly and TSC will continue to look for new contracts.'

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil said the latest developments were "extremely disappointing".

He said: 'While I wish those in Falkirk all the best, there is no doubt this is a bitter blow to the workers in Greenock

'We can"t say if intervention by the Scottish Government in February - when I first asked the minister to get involved - would have saved any of these local jobs.

'But it is significant they only got off their hands when the further job threat was announced in Falkirk three months later - and it is that centre that now benefits from this contract.'

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 25 Jun 09

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