Hull loses battle to save jobs as axe hits call centre

MPs have voiced their disappointment after bosses decided to axe more than 280 jobs at a Yorkshire call centre part way through a consultation process.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Apr 2012, 07:00 BST

Electrical goods retailer Comet – which was founded in Hull in 1933 – is closing its call centre in George Street in the city, with the work transferring to Clevedon in Bristol.

A 90-day consultation was launched in February. Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson said he and Hull Council had done everything they could to keep jobs in the city. Comet’s business centre, employing around 160 staff, will stay open.

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Mr Johnson said: “I met the chairman and head of human resources along with the leader of Hull Council Steve Brady straight after the announcement that they were going into this consultation. They met us in London.

“We left the meeting with the understanding that, although the call centre work was going to be reduced because of the way they were reorganising the business and there would be job losses everywhere, they would maintain what was left of the call centre work in Hull and the business centre.

“They said there were issues around parking. The council met with them as recently as last Monday and they’d made an offer to meet the company’s concerns which seemed to be satisfactory to them.

“After that radio silence.”

Hull North MP Diana Johnson said the blow added to the “recent worrying trend” of private sector jobs being lost in the city. “This is terrible news for Comet staff in Hull and comes before the end of Comet’s consultation period.

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“It’s especially devastating to see jobs going from a major company that started in Hull.

“It adds to the worrying recent trend of private sector jobs going in Hull – or being in serious jeopardy. We’ve had grim news on jobs recently from Warm Sure, BAE Systems and have heard warnings of job losses from Hull’s caravan industry, due to the Caravan Tax proposals in last week’s Budget.”

The company, which operates 248 stores and has about 10,000 staff in the UK, was founded by George Hollingbery as Comet Battery Stores Ltd – a two man business charging batteries and accumulators for customer wireless sets.

It was sold earlier this year to retail turnaround firm OpCapita after posting losses of £22m in the six months to October 31.

No-one was available to comment from Comet yesterday.