Staff at the Virgin Media contact centre, which handles calls for Virgin Mobile and other Virgin products, were briefed by senior Virgin Media management about the decision to close the site by the end of 2012. Mobile company Vodafone announced last month that it will close its centre on the same site in Trowbridge.
Andy Kerr, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “This is a disaster for Virgin Media staff at Trowbridge and for the whole area. Coming on the back of the Vodafone decision to pull out of Trowbridge, the local economy will be hit hard by this redundancy double whammy.
“We’re asking Virgin Media to make redeployment and relocation packages a realistic option for staff who may be interested, not a token tick box exercise. The sad fact is that there will not be an option to stay in Trowbridge and work for Virgin Media as other sites are not within commuting distance and relocation remains an unrealistic option for the majority of staff.
“The closure will be phased over 18 months, but this is no consolation for staff, many of whom have long service for the company, who ultimately face losing their job.”