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Contractor group "deeply disappointed" by BT contractor cuts

Posted May 15, 2009

The UK's leading contractor group has expressed its great disappointment at the news that BT is to shed up to 10,000 contractors in a cost-cutting exercise.

Following a series of poor financial results, BT has announced a further 15,000 job cuts, on top of the 15,000 cut so far - two thirds of the number being contact or agency workers.

Earlier today, Professional Contractors Group's MD, John Brazier, commented:

"This is termination on an enormous scale and I am concerned for those affected. As flexible workers, freelancers are often the first to go when firms announce cuts. Freelancers do take on the risk as well as the reward when going into business on their own, and in the current economic climate, more and more firms are shedding their contract staff."

Mr Brazier also made it clear that the cuts at BT underline the importance of tightening up controls on Intra-Company visas.

The Group says that its members have reported that BT could be one of the worst offenders for replacing IT contract staff with workers on Intra-Company visas.

"Such behaviour reduces opportunities for IT contractors in the UK, and in a recession opportunities should be created, not limited."

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