SEVENTY York jobs will be lost to Leeds as part of a re-shuffle at BT.

The telecommunication giant has announced a reorganisation of its Openreach division which will see 70 jobs moved from York to Leeds.

Consultations are underway with the affected staff, which are based at BT's telephone exchange building in The Stonebow.

BT has confirmed the move will not result in the closure of the York building, and said the affected jobs are likely to move to Leeds in January.

One worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "We were all called in to watch a video presentation from the chief executive, during which he talked about a new centre of excellence for customer service in Leeds, and that jobs would be relocated.

"We've had very little information since, with a lot of questions going unanswered.

"To be told this just two weeks before Christmas is really tough; we've had people in tears not knowing what's going to happen."

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BT said the move would help staff work together and improve customer services

The 70 staff in York join around 100 in Greater Manchester and 36 in Sheffield who have also been asked to move to Leeds.

The Communication Workers Union has confirmed it is handling the matter on a national level on behalf of members, but will not comment as negotiations are ongoing with BT.

BT employs a total of 486 people across its business in York.

Openreach is the company's infrastructure division, with the affected staff all coming from desk-based roles including planning, control and customer service.

BT said it is too soon to say what will happen to those who are unable to relocate, but said it does not want to lose staff, and will work to support them in other lines of the business, while offering to cover travel costs for two years for those that do face the commute to Leeds.

A spokesperson for BT said: "We can confirm that 70 of our Openreach people currently based in York have been asked to move to our building in Sovereign Street in Leeds.

"We have begun discussions with individual members of staff regarding the feasibility of moving and how it may affect them.

"These changes are about helping our people work together and improving customer service.

"The York building will not be closed as a result of this proposed move.

"Openreach recently hired 111 employees in Yorkshire and Humber and we are committed to continued investment in York and the wider region."

BT said it has chosen to focus on Leeds as large numbers of staff are already located there or nearby.

York Press:

Concerns have been raised by Hugh Bayley MP and Charles Storr from the city council

York MP Hugh Bayley said: "I hope that BT will confirm no current employees will be made redundant as a result of this.

"The Stonebow building is a big building with plenty of space, and BT should keep it in use and bring some other jobs back to York so that their office continue to be well used and efficiently run."

Charles Storr from City of York Council’s economic development unit added: "We’re concerned to hear of the possible relocation of jobs from York to Leeds and the impact this will have on York-based staff and their families.

"However, we do understand that firms need to be prepared to respond flexibly to market changes and are standing by ready to assist BT in supporting those York staff affected."