Ex-Telkom staffers, who were outsourced to WNS, faces a bleak festive season. By Gugu Lourie
In a letter from WNS dated 30 September 2015, 255 ex-Telkom employees were told they may be retrenched by December 31.
“We envisage that if retrenchments are unavoidable, they are likely to take effect on 31 December 2015,” Johann Kunz, MD of WNS, said in a letter to the affected staff.
An ex-Telkom staffer, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear that disclosure of his name may jeopardise his chances of being redeployed by WNS either in Port Elizabeth or Durban sent TechFinancials.co.za the letter that was issued to affected workers.
As part of a business transfer process earlier this year with Telkom, WNS appointed 320 Telkom staff working in its call centre division.
According to the letter, WNS would begin a process to consult with affected employees to avoid possible retrenchments, mitigate the adverse effect of possible job losses and minimise the number of job cuts.
The letter also stated that transfers to the Durban and Port Elizabeth offices were considered on “WNS terms and conditions” and proposed to offer a voluntary separation package to affected staff members.
The company attributed the possible retrenchments to the process to consolidate the existing Telkom operations into two existing WNS sites, namely; Durban and Port Elizabeth.
“WNS SA has built a reputation as an industry leader, partnering with leading local and global companies to deliver best-in-class BPO services. WNS SA drives process excellence and value for clients through a wide spectrum of solutions, including Customer Contact Centre Services. It is essential that we maintain our reputation, but to do so we believe that the economic inefficiencies and operational reality given existing staff numbers split across 9 sites, which we have also mentioned above, need to be addressed,” explains Kunz in the letter.
The company said the impacted Telkom sites includes Pretoria, Centurion, Springs, Factoria, Ormonde, Blomfontein and Bellville.
The possible retrenchments will affect about 202 front line staff and 53 management.
The company advised affected ex-Telkom employees that “in the event that your retrenchment is unavoidable we will provide you with a certificate of service. You will also be permitted to take time off from work to seek alternative employment”.
Established in 2003, WNS South Africa currently employs 4000 staff members.
The affected employee said the ex-Telkom staffers still reported to work on a daily basis but they are very disillusioned at the turn of events.
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