Twenty-one jobs are set to be lost at Firstsource in Derry – a company that has received more than £15m from the public purse in Northern Ireland.
An email seen by this newspaper was sent to staff at the end of last week informing employees of the YouFibre team that their role may be affected.
The email states: “We have been informed by our client, YouFibre, that effective from 7th April 2025, they will be transitioning the work we currently deliver to a new, yet unnamed client based in South Africa.
“This change will prompt a subsequent TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) transfer.
“We understand that this news may bring about questions and concerns. Please be assured that we are committed to supporting you throughout this transition.
“We will be consulting with colleagues about the changes and are currently waiting on confirmation from the client regarding a new provider, so that we can start the process. However due to the work transferring to a client in South Africa we will be placing staff at risk of redundancy.”
Read more
The latest blow comes after 50 jobs were cut at Firstsources’ Derry offices in June 2024.
Firstsource has received £15.39m in financial assistance from Invest NI from 2002/03 to 2021/22.
The majority £8.1m going to the Foyle office, £5.09m to Belfast South and £2.21m to East Londonderry.
Much of that money was handed over in 2006/07 and 2007/08, but it still means Firstsource was at number 12 in terms of companies that have received the most Invest NI funding.
A spokesperson for Firstsource said: “Firstsource has begun a redundancy consultation process with a number of colleagues in Derry.
“The majority of staff are not affected by the announcement and the relevant staff were informed last week.
“We are working to support them through this process and offer redeployment to as many people as we can.
“Firstsource remains committed to the Northern Irish market and continues to serve a range of clients in financial services, telecoms, media, and utility sectors.”