Bank of Ireland (BOI) is planning to axe 101 contract-based jobs at its two call centres in the wake of the negative impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on its business.

The bank said that it will not renew the contracts which are scheduled to expire in the next six months as the company seeks to cut costs amidst the current crisis.

The contract workers, who were recently employed by BOI’s recruitment partner firm CPL, are working in the bank’s two call centres at in Kilkenny and Tallaght in Ireland.

BOI has notified 78 employees in Kilkenny and the remaining in Tallaght stating that their contracts will not be renewed further and full-time positions may not be offered to them.

In a statement, the bank said: “Prior to the onset of the current pandemic, attrition levels in our contact centres were at a level where we would often be able to offer permanent positions with Bank of Ireland to contract staff at the end of their contract period.

“However, since Covid-19, the number of vacancies arising within the business has significantly decreased.

“This development, coupled with expected efficiencies in our processes, unfortunately, means that a number of contract positions will come to an end from late June 2020 to January 2021.”

The bank has set in motion a range of support through CPL, which includes HR clinics and workshops for assisting the contract workers in the coming days.