A British Telecom (BT) worker has described the planned closure of the Liverpool office and relocation of about 600 jobs as “absolutely horrendous”, as dozens of workers held a protest.
BT is due to close its Old Hall Street office in March when its lease runs out.
The firm has said part of the reason is due to a hike in lease renewal costs. Roles will be moved to Manchester and Leeds and staff are being offered a chance to relocate but unions say it is not an option for many.
Lesley Wood is being moved to the Manchester office and said she would have “no work-life balance” travelling three to four hours a day to and from her home in Southport. BT said it was taking concerns raised seriously.
The telecom firm said the changes were part of an “optimisation and modernisation” of its working spaces.
Wood has worked for BT for 39 years and been based at the Liverpool office since 2017.
She told Radio Merseyside the closure would have a big impact on her life.
“It means I have to get up at 5.30am every morning. I’ll have to get a train that takes one hour, 15 minutes.
“I’m too close to retirement to get another job, so I’ve got no choice but to go there.
“I’m just literally going to be coming home and going to bed.”
She said it was not the first time she had been relocated.
“They did it to us in Warrington when they closed down BT Business.”
However, the prospect of closing the whole site was “absolutely horrendous” and would be a “really sad day” for all the staff there, she said.