Tesco has closed its Cardiff call centre today, Friday, February 16, with the loss of 1,100 jobs.
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) said it had made huge efforts to try and keep the customer contact centre open since Tesco announced closure plans in June last year.
Around 100 people from the Caerphilly area were employed at Tesco House, on Maes-Y-Coed Road, at the time the closure plans were announced.
Usdaw Divisional Officer Nick Ireland said: “I want to thank the Usdaw reps on site for their hard work and commitment throughout this process. Despite being under the threat of redundancy themselves, the support they gave to our members was second to none. The closure of Tesco Cardiff is a massive blow for our members and for the Cardiff economy.
“Usdaw reps on site fought hard to keep the call centre open, challenging the business case through the consultation period, but once it became clear we couldn’t achieve that, we had to focus on getting the best deal for members and helping them find alternative work. A successful jobs fair was organised, alongside courses on CV writing and interview skills.
“We are grateful to the organisations that got involved in helping to support staff through a very difficult and emotional process.
“We’re particularly grateful to local MPs, led by Anna McMorrin MP, who raised the closure in the House of Commons. Usdaw sends our best wishes to members, reps and their families for the future and we will continue to provide help and assistance in any way we can.”