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Union talks to begin over Eircom's 2,000 redundancies

Talks will get underway in the coming days between management and unions at Eircom after the company announced 2,000 redundancies yesterday evening.

The Communications Workers Union is insisting the redundancies must be made on a voluntary basis.

Eircom, which currently employs 5,700 people, says the redundancies are aimed at cutting costs and will happen over the next 18 months.

The redundancies will be across the firm but it was not immediately clear if they will all be voluntary.

Eircom said the job cuts from its 5,700 staff would be part of an ambitious cost savings programme.
Herb Hribar, chief executive, said the challenges facing eircom are significant.

“They require a fundamental transformation in the way we are organised, the business activities we prioritise and the work practices we have adopted in order to substantially reduce our costs and become more efficient,” he said.

“The programme is ambitious but the challenges are not insurmountable.

“The business strategy remains sound and our strategic investment continues. Achieving these cost reductions is vital to providing the organisation with greater flexibility.

“It will enable eircom to deliver greater value, exciting new products such as fibre broadband and improved service to its customers across Ireland.”