Hope despite 1,000 jobs loss (From Western Telegraph)

Hope despite 1,000 jobs loss

Energy company N-Power could revive the fortunes of the Pembroke Dock Call Centre by creating up to 500 jobs.

The news comes after 60 workers at the Cleddau Centre were temporarily spared redundancy by a two-week contract for telecommunications company, NTL.

Just hours after the contract was signed, N-Power revealed it needs up to 500 call centre seats.

The Western Telegraphs website, detailing the demise of ITV Digital and its implications for the 1,045-strong workforce at the Cleddau Centre, drew N-Powers attention to Pembroke Dock.

A company representative contacted the offices of Welsh MEP Jill Evans, whose visit to the site to discuss possible European aid was featured in the article.

They are looking for between 250 and 500 seats. They contacted us to determine how we could help, they seem very keen, says the MEPs spokesman.

Manpower and 7C, which jointly run the site, could not reveal the identity of potential new clients, but is optimistic that the centre could be operating at full capacity soon. We are looking at a number of opportunities, says 7Cs operations manager, Scott Henricks.

The N-Power contract, and a spread of smaller clients, is appealing because it would spread the risk if any withdrew.

It is not our intention for it to remain a single client operation. We want to avoid reliance on one contract, says Mr Henricks.

But he still believes the decision to take on the ITV Digital contract was the right one. It brought with it an opportunity to bring this site up to a world-class operation with world-class people. Anyone who tries to suggest that that was the wrong decision is missing the point, he insists. The 60-seat NTL telemarketing contract is for two weeks, but Mr Henricks hopes it will lead to a permanent opportunity.

Debbie Rainbow, Manpowers contracts manager at the Cleddau Centre, said the contract required staff experienced in sales. There was a particular skill set required with a focus on sales, she says. All 60 staff had the sales experience needed for this contract.

The contract is a small, but significant, step and it means that the centre is active when potential clients are being shown around.

ITV Digital pulled the plug on the Pembroke Dock Call Centre at 2.20 pm last Tuesday.

An action group, involving key public agencies, MPs and AMs, immediately met and the Employment Services set up a Jobshop at the centre. Careers West Wales, located at 2a Meyrick Street, Pembroke Dock, was also providing support.

And the following day there was a mixture of tears and determined optimism from staff when the redundancies were announced.

Jim Bond, a member of the employees consultative group, said: The view is that we have got to be optimists. Someone will take over, it could be in weeks or it could be months. Already we have seen a number of potential customers being shown around.

o Politicians are being accused of being more concerned about looking after the interests of footballers and football clubs hit by the ITV Digital crash then the staff at the Pembroke Dock Call Centre.

Sports Minister Richard Caborn, on behalf of the Westminster Government, promised to help lessen the impact of the loss of income to Football League sides. He also said that footballers forced to retire in the wake of the ITV Digital collapse could be retrained as PE teachers and coaches.

Yet, there has been no announcement from the National Assembly in Cardiff about what kind of assistance might be available to redundant staff from the call centre. In fact, Ministers have said there will be no Corus-type package to help soften the blow of the job losses.

The job losses couldnt have come at a worse time for Nicola and Rodney Phillips, of Pembroke Dock. With just under four weeks to go before the birth of their first baby, Rodney said: Unfortunately I wasnt one of those taken on temporarily so Ill have to look for another job straight away.