An announcement that BT is to close its Enniskillen call centre is “devastating”, Stormont’s Economy Minister Deirdre Hargey has said.
Ms Hargey said the decision would lead to the loss of 300 jobs.
Staff had previously been offered voluntary redundancy as the future of the site was reviewed.
The company said it had now proposed closing the site by the end of October.
Ms Hargey said: “It is extremely disappointing that BT has decided to close its Enniskillen contact centre with a loss of 300 jobs.
“As a major employer in the region for over three decades, this decision is devastating for the workers and their families, and also for the wider community.”
Ms Hargey said she had asked Invest NI, Stormont’s business support agency, to ensure steps were taken to support the staff impacted.
A BT spokesperson said: “We recently closed our voluntary paid leavers offer for colleagues, and over 80% of colleagues have taken the opportunity to take this up.
“We have now made the difficult decision to propose closing the site to the small number of remaining desk-based colleagues on October 31 and have entered into consultation with colleagues and trade union partners.”
DUP MLA Deborah Erskine said the news was a major blow to the Co Fermanagh town.
She said: “There appears to be no likelihood that the jobs in question will remain after the required consultation.
“This is a major blow to Enniskillen, with the loss of over 300 jobs, but primarily my thoughts are with all of those directly affected by the announcement.”
BT Group, which supports 7,300 jobs in Northern Ireland, recently reopened its flagship Belfast headquarters after a multi-million pound upgrade.
