Digicel to layoff 200 locally?

[neilsingh100]

Don't know how credible the source is but have been hearing rumors of this for a while.

Digicel, the leading provider of mobile and communication services in the Caribbean and South Pacific regions, is about to lay off 200 workers locally, a company source told Sunshine. Trinidad and Tobago is one of its niche markets from which it repatriates over one billion TT dollars annually (US$150 million) at a time when the country is reeling from depleted foreign exchange reserves. Digicel has grown an impressive 31.7 percent over the past decade or so and now boasts of 13.6 million subscribers worldwide. But like ArcelorMittal, which enjoyed favourable conditions during the boom time, now at the slightest shift in the nation’s economic conditions, the source has advised that Digicel is about to axe workers who have faithfully served its business. Soon employees will be calling on the Government to step in and help save their jobs because they will see Digicel’s actions as unkind since the market in T&T is in number one position in 21 of the 31 markets in which Digicel operates. They deem it unfair for this Bermuda-based company whose origins trace directly back to Ireland to just simply write-off 200 workers at this period of structural adjustment. Other employees in the know believe that this has been in the 200 DIGICEL WORKERS offing for some time now. Just last year, a mere 48 hours before it was due to launch its New York’s Initial Public Offering (IPO), Digicel cancelled the IPO. Of course this was a major blow to billionaire Dennis O’Brien who it is reported was hoping to raise US $2 billion through this medium. This IPO was supposed to help Digicel wipe out a $6.5 billion dollar debt and also to assist the company to float some $400 million US that was earmarked for acquisitions to further its growth. But with the pulling of the New York IPO just in October 2015, Digicel seems to have trained its guns on Trinidad and Tobago where official sources state that it is planning to raise millions through a T&T IPO. The share price in the T&T IPO will not be the $13 - $16US that was offered in New York and which many believed was the reason why O’Brien pulled out that IPO since he did not want to sell off part of his company so cheaply. The price today is much lower. Some say a meagre US$5 per share but employees are issuing a stern warning to the public to beware. It is alleged that Digicel is in deep debt in Trinidad and Tobago and it has more to do with the management of the company. Vendors informed Sunshine that the giant multinational communications leader owes them, some as much as half a million to a million dollars. And if one thinks such a practice is bad, Sunshine was given a list of service providers whose bills Digicel is yet to honour. Many say that Digicel can do better but its way of doing business is outside of a best practice approach as seen in more successful companies. In addition, O’Brien is struggling with credibility issues in his own homeland of Ireland as a tribunal accused him of having obtained a mobile phone licence for a company in the 1990s outside of the normal channel. So employees at Digicel are calling on the Government to act now rather than wait until it is too late as was in the case of ArcelorMittal. Big businesses they claim are taking advantage of employees and already close to 15 thousand people have been sent home since September 7, 2015 by both the public and private sector. Sunshine has noted that the construction industry is the hardest hit with 95% of construction equipment idle and in one company alone more than 1200 employees have been sent home. Government must take the brunt of the blame as it has virtually brought a halt to all infrastructure works in the country. One must remember that the Government is the largest employer in the construction industry both directly and indirectly and if this is at a standstill then the economic situation remains grim. Digicel workers are experiencing anxiety especially with th invitation to the IMF made by th Minister of Finance. The Digicel workers are callin on the national community als for their support. They state that in Digicel rea power is in the hands of the expats who are brought in to d every thing and who has no real allegiance to T&T. They look a TSTT and FLOW who have only locals at the top. They are begging them to hel them save their jobs or go local with TSTT and show thes multinational corporations tha they simply cannot come to our country and abuse us and go. Calls to the General Manage of Digicel T&T Sasha Thompson went unanswered up t press time.

[devsingh]

I know contractors have been out of work for over two months now

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

Its true got it from a inside source aswell. They are going to lay off 200 in Trinidad.

[redmanjp]

So this might affect deployment of fibre?

[Oleander]

No word on the fiber end. Looks like the aim is on mobile.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

Its 200 from sales they are laying off.

[neilsingh100]

Its 200 from sales they are laying off.

They have so many people in sales?

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

Its 200 from sales they are laying off.

They have so many people in sales?

Apparently, according to someone inside so he say he is an Engineer so I assume he right.

[Strugglerzinc]

Contracts ended. Go home. Not like they didn't know they were on contract.

An employer has no obligation to renew.

[Dizzy28]

So this might affect deployment of fibre?

Isn't fibre being done by a Digicel owned outsourced company called Sierra anyhow??? So technically they aren't digital employees.

[desifemlove]

i don't care if mobile operator came from Mars...i does tink some people don't get FDI, since as a small economy we cyah produe all by ourselves. the USA attracts shitloads of FDI, and it's the biggest economy in the world. it's called globalisation, deal with it...

and this "govt. stop them!!" how, why? if they have credible means to close down, they a private business concern. again, globalisation. they have loyalty here provided it's a fertile place to do business. perhaps these unions and even Digicel workers need to understand economics or global business, since there's only so much any government to do to stop a private business closing down.

jus makes me laugh how people say sheit like "no loyalty to trinidad"..looool. so ANSA having a brewery in St. Lucia, is that "loyalty" to st. lucia or a good place to have a next brewery to cut down on costs to ship to the USA or Jamaica? lol.

[desifemlove]

and why they cutting these jobs? has recession really hit mobile subscriptions or data use?? if anything most people know use mobile as a main phone, not a landline. and people at least need basic phone calls, not even smartphone functionality.