CWU on Virgin Media takeover
6th February 2013
Commenting on news of the takeover of Virgin Media by
Liberty Global today (Wednesday) the Communication Workers Union
urges the new owners to return independent trade union recognition
to the staff and to bring a positive working environment to the
company.
Andy Kerr, CWU deputy general secretary, said:
"Staff at Virgin Media have had quite a bit of upheaval in
recent months and we urge management at Virgin Media - old and new
- to keep the interests of staff and the effect that this takeover
news will have at the forefront of their minds.
"We'd like the new owners to return independent
trade union recognition to their employees, which was taken away in
a dubious fashion towards the end of last year. We hope that union
derecognition had nothing to do with this sale, although the timing
does appear unfortunate.
"It would be useful if Virgin Media would put at ease any
fears of redundancies, which can sometimes arise when takeovers
occur. The UK telecoms sector remains fiercely competitive, but
Virgin Media is clearly a successful company and there should be no
call for job losses.
"CWU would like to have a positive relationship with the
new owners of Virgin Media and we'll be writing to Liberty
Global with the intention of establishing a constructive
dialogue."
CWU represents staff working in engineering, call centre and support roles at Virgin Media.
