Another 157 jobs at Optus hang in the balance after the telco closed a service centre and outsourced some IT functions to third-party vendors.
Not all the employees will necessarily lose their jobs, as Optus is “exploring redeployment opportunities" for its workers, an Optus spokesperson said.
Optus said 27 roles would be “affected” by the closure of its After Sales Service Centre in Silverwater in late September, the spokesperson said. “We are expanding our handset repair program so that more customers will be able to replace their broken phones immediately while they are in-store.”
Another 130 jobs are up in the air as a result of the IT outsourcing, said the spokesperson, adding that Optus advised staff of the outsourcing plans back in February.
In its most recent financial results, Optus said it had cut staff costs by 6 per cent in the quarter ending 30 June by cutting 158 jobs. On a year-on-year basis, the telco cut 6.5 per cent of its workforce.
Optus recently completed a restructure of its enterprise and government division, integrating Optus Business with Alphawest and SingTel subsidiary NCS. The restructure contributed to nearly 1000 layoffs in 2012 and another round of job cuts this year.
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