Staff at a Sunderland call centre run by Virgin Media have been told that they face redundancy from New Year’s Eve.

Consultation has begun at the Team Valley site. A worker at the premises, who did not wish to be named, explained that Virgin Media is looking to move some of the work to Manilla, with other operations moving to Teeside.

“Some people have been there for a lot of years. Since January there has been an exodus of people leaving and people have been getting more and more peeved. This feels like a kick in the teeth.”

Staff at the centre were sent an email informing them that the company is looking to redeploy some of the pots to the Philippines.

A spokesman for the company said: “As we simplify and grow our business and improve how we serve our customers, Virgin Media has started discussions with employees on proposed changes within one area of our Gateshead Centre.

“Our proposal reflects the reducing amount of calls handled at Gateshead as more and more customers move to online channels.

We are working closely with our employee representative forum and our priority is to support anyone impacted by the proposed changes to find another role within the Company, with one of our partners or alternative work opportunities.”