Around 900 jobs could be lost over the next two years at Virgin Media.
The Liberty Global-owned cablenet announced the plans as part of a group-wide reorganisation. No details have been given as to which areas will be affected amid ongoing consultations.
“The proposed reorganisation will give us an even sharper focus on the customer, network expansion and business growth,” said CEO Tom Mockridge, in a statement.
The announcement comes in contrast to the £3 billion Project Lightning investment made 12 months ago. Britain’s largest investment in broadband digital infrastructure for more than a decade was anticipated to create 6,000 direct new jobs, including 1,000 new apprenticeships over a five year period.
Mockridge was keen to highlight the operator was still in growth mode: “We’re expanding, investing and growing our business. The proposed reorganisation will give us an even sharper focus on the customer, network expansion and business growth,” he said.
But the communications workers union CWU said that while Virgin Media talked a good story on investment, it did so while cutting direct Labour jobs.
CWU assistant secretary John East said: “In the recent past the CWU has had to support the installers forced to accept pay cuts and worse terms as Virgin parcelled up their work to over seven subcontractors. We are in the middle of an Employment Tribunal over changes affecting Access Planners, which resulted in redundancies for many and fundamental changes for the remainder.”
Liberty acquired Virgin Media in February 2013 for $23.3 billion.
Virgin’s UK headquarters are located in Hook, Hampshire.
