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Capita redundo staff: We are free at last, free at last… at the end of this month

Thank Andy Parker we are free at last

More than a year after Capita initiated redundancies at its O2 call centres, the staff based in the Glasgow offices are finally set to exit the building at the end of this month.

A call for volunteers to leave the business was first made in June 2015, and a couple of months later 700 of those placed at risk put their hands up to go - 350 in Bury and the same number in Glasgow.

The Bury site was shuttered last autumn - after workers were asked to delay their departure date to carry out some outstanding work - and the Glasgow office was originally due to close in June.

Capita's call centre staff north of the border told us they are now preparing to leave on 31 July. “This is the final countdown,” said one.

They'll leave with a redundo cheque and the hope their new employer won't charge them to use cutlery in the staff canteen.

The 10-year £1.2bn outsourcing contract that O2 dished out to Capita to manage its call centres was back in 2013, when talk of planned redundancies was denied.

Since then, the ways customers choose to receive support has moved beyond the phone with call volumes dropping and people preferring to go online. Fewer staff were required, said Capita.

El Reg asked Capita why it took the length of time it did to finally send people on their way and it sent us a statement, not answering that point.

“O2 customers are increasingly interacting over digital channels rather than traditional customer service telephone channel. As a result Capita has been consulting with staff in the Glasgow call centre to offer redeployment and redundancies through voluntary means - this process has now concluded.” ®

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