By Alistair Houghton,Greta Simpson,Ramazani Mwamba

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Staff working at a Salford-based communications group say they have been left fearing for the future following a ‘completely unexpected’ announcement that nearly 400 jobs are at risk of redundancy. Cuts of around 350 roles will affect Platform X Communications (PXC), part of the TalkTalk Group, following a ‘major restructuring’ of the business. The wholesale arm of the firm, which provides services and broadband to other telecoms providers, is also expected to create around 70 new roles. Cuts will affect employees across the UK, including at the group’s headquarters at the Soapworks on Salford Quays, with affected roles terminated by November of this year. Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here Today (September 24), an employee told The Manchester Evening News staff were informed of they could lose their job last week, adding the approximately 350 people losing their jobs throughout the UK sounded “about right.” “They told me last week,” he continued. “I’m not too worried at the moment because I’ve got time to look for something else.” Other insiders the M.E.N spoke to said there were fears among staff that operations would be moved out of the UK. One, who asked to remain anonymous, said his partner had been affected by the cuts at the Salford office. “She was told last week,” he said. “It’s all still under consultation but she was told her role would be finishing by October, November time.” “It was completely unexpected, everyone just got called in one by one. It’s colleagues that have been there since day one of the business: 20 or 25 years. “I do not think a reason has been given as to why, it is part of trying to keep the business afloat. They had a reorganisation last Christmas to try and stabilise it then. “With it being a Manchester business, a lot of people have relocated to the North West when they moved up here. There’ll be a lot of people looking for roles now.” News of the cuts was first reported last Thursday (September 18) by industry news site ISPreview. A number of employees made posts on LinkedIn announcing their redundancies on the same day. “I never thought I would actually be writing this,” wrote one. “After 23 years, my role is being made redundant.” The telecoms giant, known as one of Salford’s biggest and best-known private sector employers, made the move from London to Salford in 2019. It split its main business into three separate firms in 2023. These were TalkTalk Consumer, which had more than two million broadband customers; corporate service TalkTalk Business Direct; and PXC, which offers services to other telecoms providers. Sky News reported at the weekend that TalkTalk was considering a breakup , with separate sales of PXC and of its best-known consumer broadband arm. When approached for comment, a PXC spokesperson said today: “PXC continuously reviews its operations to ensure it remains efficient and dynamic in an evolving marketplace. “The company’s ongoing focus is on rolling out new product innovation and delivering exceptional service for its partners.” These latest changes follow a round of job cuts last year. The M.E.N reported in December that almost a quarter of TalkTalk’s consumer team were at risk of losing their jobs.