ANOTHER 140 posts will be made redundant by telecommunications giant, Cable and Wireless Jamaica (CWJ), at the end of this month.

The company will also be closing four mobile centres during the same period.

In a statement yesterday, CWJ said it was forced to eliminate the posts, some of which were already vacant, and cited the company's need to be more efficient and to position itself to deliver superior customer service in an increasingly competitive environment.

"While regrettable ...it is an inescapable fact that as companies move to take advantage of their investments in cost efficiencies and adopt new processes, staff complements invariably are reduced," said CWJ's president, Gary Barrow.

"The employees to be affected by this redundancy exercise will be informed through a series of meetings that will be held with them over the next several days," the statement said.

The CWJ president said that the move is not about laying off people, but is the result of the continuing transformation of the company, which must take place as it prepares for full liberalisation of the telecom sector early next year.

Mr. Barrow added that CWJ must be prepared to meet the new demands of a market and sales oriented environment in an efficient manner and with a reduced cost base.

"As we continue to sharpen our focus on our core business and begin to reap the efficiencies from our ongoing investment in new technologies, processes and systems, as would be expected, some positions would cease to exist," he said.

Since April last year, hundreds of posts have been made redundant and employees sent home.

In April 2002, CWJ sent home 60 employees from the company's finance, sales and service departments. Three hundred were terminated in April, 2001 and another 300 in September, 2001, reducing the staff from about 3,200 to a little over 2,500.

The statement said that the company would offer financial and legal advice, personal support, counselling and help them to prepare for other jobs.

Regarding the closure of four mobile centres, Mr. Barrow said that all queries which now go to one of the company's business officers can be handled by the company's Customer contact centre with a charge free call and that the company will also shortly be introducing a new online payment facility and that there is more to come.

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