Over 1000 jobs have been put at risk as Tesco announced a re-organisation of its one of its customer engagement centres.
According to staff union Usdaw, staff at Tesco‘s Cardiff call centre have been briefed on plans to close the site by February 2018, jeapardising 1100 jobs.
Call centre operations are understood to be moving to Dundee, where 250 jobs will be created.
“Tesco‘s Cardiff call centre staff are understandably shocked by the announcement of the company‘s planned closure, they are being briefed by managers this afternoon,” Usdaw‘s divisional officer Nick Ireland said.
“Usdaw reps and officials are providing support to our members at this difficult time. This is clearly devastating news for our members and will have a wider impact on South Wales, as so many jobs are potentially lost to our local economy.
“We will now enter into consultation talks with the company over the coming weeks to look at the business case for the proposed closure.
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“Our priorities are to keep as many members as possible in employment, whether that is with Tesco or other local employers, and to get the best possible deal for our members. In the meantime we are providing the help, advice and support Usdaw members need through this process.”
In response, Tesco UK boss Matt Davies said in a statement: “The retail sector is facing unprecedented challenges and we must ensure we run our business in a sustainable and cost-effective way, while meeting the changing needs of our customers.
“To help us achieve this, we‘ve taken the difficult decision to close our customer service operations in Cardiff.
“We realise this will have a significant effect on colleagues in the Cardiff area, and our priority now is to continue to do all we can to support them at this time.”
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