T&T DIGICEL Group dismisses 100 employees

The telecommunications company, Digicel, on Monday announced that it has transitioned its Trinidad Consumer Contact Centre to a consolidated regional center of excellence in Jamaica, resulting in more than 100 workers being retrenched

“As a company, we are forever grateful for the contributions of our Contact Centre agents and recognize their commitment to providing excellent service as our customers’ first point of contact,” said Digicel’s chief executive officer, Abraham Smith, confirming the move that has resulted in 126 workers being retrenched

Smith said that it is no secret that the Call Centre has been the “heartbeat of our customer operations for 17 years, with many people throughout the business starting their journey there

“It has been a great source of energy and vibrancy for the company and we will work toward keeping that spirit alive in all that we do,” he said, acknowledging that “while this decision was not taken lightly, we firmly believe that this move will benefit our customers and the company in the long run, as this consolidation will streamline our operations and reduce cost, which will ultimately help us to continue to be a competitive and sustainable business”

In a statement announcing the retrenchment, Digicel said it has engaged several third-party customer contact center operators and is in discussions with them to absorb the affected employees into their operations in the coming weeks

It said that its Regional Corporate Contact Centre will be consolidated as well, into a center of excellence based here and that the retrenched employees will be treated fairly and with respect

It said the former workers will be supported through their transition with expanded Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services, and special transition workshops on resume writing, interview skills, and financial management amongst other initiatives

Cuba holds national elections with no opposition candidates

Cuba holds National Assembly elections Sunday, but there are only 470 candidates running for the 470 seats, with no opposition challengers and no campaigning

Voters essentially will do no more than endorse the nominated slate of candidates

The polling held every five years technically is nonpartisan, but falls under the indirect control of the country’s true power under the constitution, the ruling Communist Party

Half of the candidates come from municipal assemblies chosen in local elections last November

The other half are nominated by groups representing broad swaths of society — such as a women ’ s group and workers unions All are vetted by election committees with ties to the party Cuba’s establishment says the system is inclusive and builds unity, while steering clear of the divisiveness of party politics or any ill effects of big-money donors

The outcome may be a foregone conclusion, but one indicator that will be closely watched is how many voters abstain from the process