The telecommunication company, which operates there under the brand LIME, said it would be outsourcing its retail operations in a bid to improve its financial position.

LIME Barbados managing director Alex McDonald said while the company would be sending home 97 employees 48 new positions would be created.

He said the company has since last August been in negotiations with the Barbados Workers Union regarding the dismissals and the possibility of having the former workers take charge of the retail business.

McDonald said the talks had not been successful, forcing the company to resort to a managed services model.

We are getting out of the retail business and as a core element (being) offered to the customer, we would wish to open the operations to others who are more retail-centric than LIME, said McDonald.

He added that the decision was informed by a number of other factors, including changing technology, increasing costs and competition and poor customer service.

CMC