BT relocation plan will mean 'no work-life balance'
BBCA British Telecom (BT) worker has described the planned closure of the Liverpool office and relocation of about 600 jobs as "absolutely horrendous", as dozens of workers held a protest.
BT is due to close its Old Hall Street office in March when its lease runs out.
The firm has said part of the reason is due to a hike in lease renewal costs. Roles will be moved to Manchester and Leeds and staff are being offered a chance to relocate but unions say it is not an option for many.
Lesley Wood is being moved to the Manchester office and said she would have "no work-life balance" travelling three to four hours a day to and from her home in Southport. BT said it was taking concerns raised seriously.
The telecom firm said the changes were part of an "optimisation and modernisation" of its working spaces.
Wood has worked for BT for 39 years and been based at the Liverpool office since 2017.
She told BBC Radio Merseyside the closure would have a big impact on her life.
"It means I have to get up at 5.30am every morning. I'll have to get a train that takes one hour, 15 minutes.
"I'm too close to retirement to get another job, so I've got no choice but to go there.
"I'm just literally going to be coming home and going to bed."
She said it was not the first time she had been relocated.
"They did it to us in Warrington when they closed down BT Business."
However, the prospect of closing the whole site was "absolutely horrendous" and would be a "really sad day" for all the staff there, she said.
Heather Taylor said the announcement had been a "big shock", especially as the office was "so ideal" for where she lived.
She is also being relocated to the Manchester office.
"It's put a lot of stress on things for us having to move locations and lose half the team. It's a bit of a negative vibe at the moment and given a lot of additional anxiety.
"I have agreed to relocate to Manchester but still live in Liverpool just because I have given so many years to the job and built so many skills and I do want to make a good career here.
"Obviously, it's not the most ideal situation because my commute time currently is 20 minutes and it's going to put it up to about an hour and a half [each way]."
Karen Rose, the deputy general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said the wider impact could be devastating.
"You're talking about almost 600 jobs being pulled out of the city centre.
"That is going to have a massive impact not just on the workers themselves but on the city centre economics."
She said it would affect "all sorts of things", including local businesses such as coffee shops used by employees.
A BT Group spokeswoman said it was taking the "ongoing concerns" raised seriously.
She said: "BT has been modernising and optimising our estate to ensure our workplaces are fit for the future and providing the best possible working environments for our people.
"Our priority is supporting all our colleagues throughout this change, and we can confirm that no customers or services are affected by this proposal."
It added it was continuing to engage with employees, unions and politicians and will carefully consider all feedback and alternatives raised as part of the consultation process.
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