740 Salmat call centre employees will lose their jobs after the company lost a hefty contract with Telstra this week.
A spokesperson for Salmat told Computerworld Australia the contract loss would affect employees across three regional areas including, Bundaberg, Geelong and Wagga Wagga, and the metropolitan centre in Surry Hills.
“Nearly all of the staff are engaged on fixed-term contracts linked to Telstra contracts so when the Telstra project ends, their employment also ends,” the spokesperson said.
“Salmat is doing everything it can at the moment to help staff and find alternate employment where possible and mobilising all our resources to ensure that these people are looked after.”
The contract will cease on the 30 April for Bundaberg, Wagga Wagga and Surry Hills, while Geelong will discontinue its Telstra operations on the 31 May this year.
“Our understanding is that it doesn’t relate to performance and it’s an economic decision for Telstra.”
Despite the company’s shares dropping by over six per cent following the announcement, Salmat claims to maintain a close relationship with the telco, as it continues to provide it with customer communication services as Telstra provides it with telephone services.
Follow Chloe Herrick on Twitter: @chloe_CW
Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU