BT to axe 13,000 jobs in revised growth strategy

Telecoms giant BT has this morning (May 10) announced plans to cut thousands of UK jobs in a revised strategy to deliver sustainable growth in value.

In a statement on its website, the company said it would axe around 13,000 mainly back office and middle management positions over the next three years.

At the same time, BT will hire around 6,000 new employees to support network deployment and customer service.

The revamped strategy to achieve long-term growth will also see the firm launch new converged product offerings to deliver “differentiated customer experiences” while supporting customer loyalty and improving economic returns, the statement read.

BT will focus its operation on around 30 strategic sites to create a more collaborative, open, customer-focused culture within its workforce.

This decision will include exiting its headquarters in central London – the 10-storey BT Centre office building at 81 Newgate Street.

BT is hoping that through the revised strategy, it will have made a cost reduction of £1.5bn by year three.

Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT, said: “BT is uniquely positioned to be a leader in converged connectivity and services. We are a clear market leader in terms of the scale of our customer relationships.

“We have the UK’s leading fixed and mobile access networks, a portfolio of strong and well segmented brands, and close strategic partnerships. We provide products and services that are essential to both consumers and businesses, delivered through multiple channels to suit their needs.”

He continued: “This position of strength will enable us to build on the disciplined delivery and risk reduction of the last financial year, a period during which we delivered overall in-line with our financial and operational commitments whilst addressing many uncertainties.

“I am really excited to be delivering the next stage of BT’s transformation and have put in place the team that will support me in achieving these objectives.”