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Axe falls: Virgin Media plans to kill 600 management jobs

Parent Liberty Global says telco can only grow with layoffs

Virgin Media is shedding up to 600 management jobs in the wake of Liberty Global's takeover of the British telco.

The Register understands that the cost-cutting restructure is intended to help the company focus on growth. A source close to the situation told us that, in the coming months, most of the other UK-based positions – including front-line call centre workers – would be unaffected by the rejig.

It's unclear if more staff cuts will happen in 2014, however.

In an official statement about VM's decision to cut and shut a big number of its senior and middle management jobs, the company's newly installed CEO Tom Mockridge said:

Like organisations across the public and private sector, Virgin Media is making sure it has the structure it needs to meet the needs of its customers.

These proposals are designed to take advantage of the opportunities that come with being part of the world’s largest cable operator and create an organisation that’s fit for growth.

Another factor understood to have hit management jobs at Virgin Media hard is duplication of roles at Liberty Global – the cable powerhouse run by American billionaire John Malone, which bought VM for £15bn earlier this year.

Virgin Media has already begun the painful task of 90-day consultations with affected staff who face redundancy packages at the ISP, which currently has a headcount of around 15,000 employees in Blighty. ®

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