150 Optus call centre staff in Adelaide set to lose their jobs in the next month

Staff numbers at the Optus call centre in Adelaide are set to be cut by nearly half.

Up to 150 Optus call centre workers based at the telecommunications firm’s North Terrace office are facing the sack.

There are currently about 400 people employed in the Adelaide call centre so the team could be cut by nearly half.

An Optus spokesman said the business continually evaluated its organisational structure to ensure it was the right one for meeting customers’ needs.

“We have recently undertaken a review and taken steps to simplify our business while still investing in those areas we know matter to our customers,” the spokesman said in a statement to The Advertiser.

“As part of this review, we are realigning teams which will impact some roles across our business.

“This has been a challenging decision to make but necessary to strengthen our business.

“Wherever possible, we will seek to redeploy individuals whose roles have been made redundant.”

Optus has refused to confirm how many jobs will be cut.

Call centre staff told 7News the cuts had come as a complete shock.

Workers say they were told during meetings on Wednesday morning up to 150 positions would be slashed and people would be out of a job in just four weeks.

Workers told 7News they were caught off guard because the company only hired and trained new staff at the call centre a few months ago.

The Optus Business Centre Adelaide’s website says staff “tailor the right solutions to support your business needs. As local business owners ourselves, we’re committed to helping your business grow. We understand your business, offering professional advice, technology expertise and comprehensive whole of business solutions”.

The staff cuts come five months after law firm Slater and Gordon filed a class-action lawsuit in the federal caught against Optus on behalf of more than 100,000 participants following a massive data breach.

The lawsuit claims Optus had breached privacy, telecommunication and consumer laws and failed to protect its customers data from the cyberattack in September 2022.

Slater and Gordon Class Actions Practice Group Leader Ben Hardwick said the scale of the hack and the nature of the information compromised put millions of Australians at risk.

“Very real risks were created by the disclosure of this private information that Optus customers had every right to believe was securely protected by their telecommunications and internet provider,” he said.

“The type of information made accessible put affected customers at a higher risk of being scammed and having their identities stolen, and Optus should have had adequate measures in place to prevent that.”

Originally published as 150 Optus call centre staff in Adelaide set to lose their jobs in the next month