Struggling Base to slash 200 jobs

15 March 2004

BRUSSELS – Struggling Belgian mobile telephone company Base could fire almost a quarter of its employees, the firm warned on Monday.

In a statement Base confirmed that it would probably fire around 200 of its 930 employees as part of a major restructuring plan.

“Today the management of BASE announced its intention to change the [firm’s] current organisation,” the statement said.

“This is expected to have an impact on around 200 jobs on a total of 930,” it continued.

The company tried to put a brave face on its announcement by saying the move represented a bid to concentrate on its “core activities”.

But analysts point out that Base has been struggling recently and has only remained afloat because its parent company, Dutch telecoms operator KPN, this weekend gave it a EUR 600 million cash injection.

The average age of BASE employees is just 32, which means few of the planned job losses will be achieved through early retirement or other forms of ‘natural wastage’.

Most layoffs would be “straight firings” BASE spokesman Bart Vandesompele told Belgium’s Le Soir newspaper.

Subject: Belgian news