Jun 23rd 2004
By: Luke
By: Luke
Ofcom Axes Radio Technology and Compatibility Group
As staff numbers at headquarters continue to grow -
Staff at the Ofcom Radio Technology & Compatibility Group laboratories at Whyteleafe were told today that the laboratories would be closing at the end of March 2005. Reasons given included that it would be some 40% less expensive to outsource the type of work undertaken at the laboratories, a saving of about �1m per annum.
Short of a buyer purchasing the facility, it is likely that virtually all the 25 staff will be made redundant, with the first forced redundancies starting at the end of December 2004, last at the end of March 2005.
Jun 26th 2004
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Jun 26th 2004
It’s not just RTCG which has been effected. Two other groups have just had their numbers reduced dramatically.
Could this be a sign of the future?
How many more will fall to Mr Carter’s axe?
Jul 1st 2004
It looks like the “death toll” now exceeds 70 staff!
Looks like Ofcom has an adversion to technical staff!!!!
Jul 16th 2004
Why are we all surprised?
Afterall Lord Currie has been quoted as saying his intentions with Ofcom is to “Shrink, Shrink, Shrink”.
Oh sorry I forgot, that statement was taken “out of context”.
Well, from where I’m sitting it looks like it’s coming true!
Jul 23rd 2004
It seems anyone in a technical role at Ofcom is at risk, as this sort of expertise appears to be out of fashion. Though I hear economists and new media gurus and are in high demand!
Jul 26th 2004
Technical reasoning and the laws of physics are often not important to economists or general managers. However radio engineering will show the econo-generlists just how important it is to understand in great depth, your subject, before you comment on it. Prof. Cave may know a lot about the economy but he sure knows very little about radio communications theory and engineering. Watch the disaster unfold! XL5
Aug 9th 2004
Ofcom are now paying new technical staff higher salaries than the experienced staff who trained them.
Ofcom has stated that salary will be dependant upon performance in the job rather than time served and experience.
Comparing the work throughput of an experienced member of staff with a trainee clearly shows that the management have no idea what the word “performance” actually means.
I therefore have to conclude that Ofcom staff pay is actually based
upon decisions made by management who could not manage their way out of a paper bag.
Sep 7th 2004
Would anyone like to come out of the shadows of anonymity and write a piece about this for an actual post? I can assure you it will be read more widely than these comments.
I understand if no-one feels that they are able to do so at present - but as an open forum please remember that this offer is always out there.
So if at some point someone feels a wider post on this issue would be of value please drop us an e-mail - blog@ofcomwatch.co.uk
Nov 29th 2004
You might like to ask who has been awarded the contract. It was supposed to have been signed and started in Mid-October, well one month on and they are still keeping tight lipped about it.
Meanwhile staff are leaving RTCG rapidly, taking their big settlements with them and leaving poor Ofcom without any easy means of carrying out technical investigations.