Cable and Wireless (C&W) is to axe 480 jobs in the UK to help trim overheads. The job losses are on top of those announced by the UK telco in November when 600 jobs were earmarked for the chop in the UK and Europe. Many of those jobs were zapped as part of C&W's decision to close its head office in London and relocate to Bracknell.

Many of the job losses in this round of cuts will centre on the UK's sales and marketing division plus its network operation.

C&W's UK headcount stands at around 4,500. These latest job cuts will take numbers to just above 4,000.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is scathing about the cuts and says it will do everything in its power to support and back its members to protect their jobs. However, the CWU is not recognised by C&W, which refuses to enter negotiations with the union.

Attacking C&W, CWU organiser Dougie Rafferty said: "This is becoming an annual event for our members in C&W. These 480 jobs represent 10 per cent of the ever diminishing and demoralised workforce."

A spokesman for C&W said that if the telco is to be successful then "it has to have a lower cost base than rivals". ®

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