150 jobs at risk at Liège call centre
Contact centre operator Ikanbi Belgium has lost a contract with energy company TotalEnergies, putting up to 150 jobs at risk at its Liège call centre unless it manages to find new customers.
The news was confirmed by the socialist trade union after reports by the French-language public broadcaster RTBF. Once the contract with TotalEnergies expires at the end of the year, French-language calls will be handled in Morocco. Calls in Dutch will continue to be handled in Belgium, but not by Ikanbi.
"The activity is under threat from artificial intelligence and digitisation, and Belgian customers want ever lower costs"
According to trade unionist Patrick Masson, around 150 people work at Ikanbi on the TotalEnergies contract. Around 50 are on permanent contracts and around 100 are temporary workers. Their duties included informing customers about their bills, negotiating contracts and managing meter changes.
"We will try to save as many jobs as possible by finding new customers within the next four months," said Masson. "The activity is under threat from artificial intelligence and digitisation, and Belgian customers want ever lower costs."
Masson fears that other large companies could follow TotalEnergies' lead.
© PHOTO JULIANE SONNTAG/ PHOTOTHEK.DE
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