THE FUTURE of 80 jobs at Castlebar Telephone Exchange have been placed in doubt by Telecom Eireann plans to pull the plug on the centre's cross-channel enquiry facility.

Opposition is also growing to the company's decision to remove Castlebar from the national platform of key exchanges in a major downgrading initiative.

The move, which is being taken as part a shared ownership drive agreed with the Communications Workers Union, has caused concern and anger among employees at the Pavilion Road base.

The cross-challenge enquiry service, available by dialing 1197, was operated from Castlebar for over fifteen years, and it will be transferred to Dublin next March. The headquarters also handled a direct-line service for disabled people which is to be taken out of Castlebar in the restructuring plans.

The five centres being retained by Telecom as the principal handlers of enquiries and services in the country are Dublin, Tralee, Mullingar, Athlone and Cork. Letterkenny has lost its status along with Castlebar.

A total of 52 day telephonists are employed at Castlebar, and there is 21 night staff. A further seven hold supervisory positions.

Mr. Joe Maher, assistant general secretary, C.W.U., who is handling the sensitive negotiations in Castlebar, was yesterday unavailable for comment on the matter.

But it is understood that many members of the union in Castlebar are totally unhappy that their existing jobs are not safeguarded.

They have been informed that alternative work will be provided, but it is unclear where this work will be provided.

Negotiations are set to continue over the coming weeks, although hopes for the Castlebar telephone exchange look bleak at this point.

Mayo Dail Deputy, Ms. Beverley Cooper Flynn, said she would be raising the matter with the Department of Communications.

"I would be very concerned if there was a loss of Telecom jobs in Castlebar, and I will be making every effort to ensure that this does not happen.

"The Castlebar exchange has handled the 1197 service with efficiently over a long numbers of years, and there seems to be no adequate reason for taking it out of the county town. Castlebar's loss of status has also caused major alarm."

Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - November 1998