Proposed BT job cuts a 'devastating blow' to workers

Up to 90 jobs could be at risk at BT's Belfast headquarters due to changes at the telecoms company, BBC News NI understands.

The Belfast office for BT Group has about 2,000 colleagues from across the company, including EE, BT Business and Openreach.

In a statement, BT said it has "shared proposals with a small number of colleagues in Belfast to transfer some of the work they do to other BT office locations".

Sinn Féin MP John Finucane described it as "a devastating blow" and has said he is writing to the company, calling on its management to do all it can to protect as many jobs as possible.

"News that 90 positions in BT's Belfast headquarters could be at risk of redundancy is concerning, and I want to firstly extend my solidarity to these workers as they learn about this news," Finucane said in a statement.

"This will come as a devastating blow to these workers and their families, some with decades-long experience at the company."

Finucane added BT "must now ensure they work alongside trade unions to keep employees informed of any developments".

The BT Group employs more than 3,400 people in Northern Ireland.

A spokesperson for BT Group said it was in discussions "with anyone affected by our proposals and, if we go ahead, we have shared other opportunities in the wider Belfast office".

The spokesperson added that Belfast remains "a strategic location" for BT Group and the company will continue to invest in the region.

In 2023, BT completed a multi-million pound investment in refurbishing the Riverside Tower office in Belfast.

Last year, Stormont's Economy Minister Conor Murphy described a decision to cut 300 roles from a BT call centre in Enniskillen as "devastating".

BT said that 252 out of 307 workers at the Enniskillen site had applied for voluntary redundancy in the Enniskillen call centre.