BlackBerry lets go of 100 more workers

nestor e. arellano

11 years ago

The job cuts at BlackBerry Ltd., continues as the Waterloo, Ont.-based smart phone company confirmed that another 100 workers were laid off by the company.

The latest job cuts comes just after 250 employees were let go from the firm’s product testing facility in July and closely follows an announcement earlier this month by the company that its board of directors has formed a special committee to explore “strategic alternatives” which could include the sale of BlackBerry.

A spokesperson for the company said this week’s job cuts are part of BlackBerry’s “transformation plan” which last month had entered its second phase.

“I can confirm that BlackBerry this week informed a small number of employees of their termination, including approximately 100 employees in Waterloo,” said Lisette Kwong, senior manager of corporate commuication for BlackBerry. “…we will be assessing our organization – from top to bottom – to ensure we have the right people in the right roles with the right skill sets to drive new opportunties in mobile computing.”

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Last year the company laid off about 5,000 workers as part of a restructuring plan. Three senior executives also left the company this month.

BlackBerry remains in the red, reporting a loss of $84 million in the last quarter despite revenues of up to $3 million.

While public reception to the company’s new BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 handsets have been widely positive, BlackBerry said this month that it was considering alternatives which included “possible joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances, the sale of the company or other possible transactions.”

The special committee looking into this includes board chair Barbara Stymiest, CEO Thorsten Heins, Richard Lynn, Bert Nordberg and the committee chair Timothy Dattels.