HP axes 100 jobs in outsourcing move

HP is set to axe at least 100 jobs at its technical support centre in the north east of England.

Sixty people working at Newcastle-based Twenty4help will be made redundant in August with another 40 to follow in November as the company outsources technical support to offices in Chennai, India.

HP today released a statement confirming the move.

"HP can confirm that the UK technical support for UK consumers, previously provided by Twenty4help, is to be moved to another HP support centre based in Chennai, India. HP will continue to use the Twenty4help, based in Newcastle, for any pre-sales enquiries or customer service issues which do not require advice from a technician."

Local newspapers in Newcastle have reported the possibility of further job cuts next week. HP did not confirm this but said the 100 redundancies were based on financial plans: "This decision is not a reflection of the standard of service provided by Twenty4help and the workers at the Newcastle site but rather a need to run our business as cost-effectively as possible in an increasingly competitive market."

Staff at Twenty4help are said to be upset at the decision.

"Naturally it's come as a big surprise and people are shocked," said Garry Thompson, human resources manager for Twenty4help. "There will be a formal statement tomorrow."

Earlier this year, loyalty card company Nectar announced plans to move 80 customer support jobs from Newcastle to India.