Canadian cable operator Shaw Communications will lay off around 1,000 employees, around 10% of the workforce involved in its Calgary-based operations.
The affected workers are primarily in retail and sales roles, said the company, which blamed the blood-letting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Government leaders across the country have taken significant and necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and to limit the spread of the virus. These measures have resulted in dramatic shortages or stoppages of work in specific areas of our business where we have had to make the hard decisions being announced today," said Shaw president Paul McAleese, in a statement.
"We value the hard work and expertise of all our employees in helping deliver connectivity to our customers across the country. Unfortunately, these changes are necessary until our business activities resume to more normal levels,” McAleese added.
The layoffs were set to begin Thursday.
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Shaw provides services primarily in British Columbia and Alberta, but it has smaller systems in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northern Ontario. Through its wireless subsidiary, Freedom Mobile, Shaw provides mobile services in urban areas of British Columbia, Alberta, and Southern Ontario. The company's biggest competitor is Telus Corporation.
