AROUND 1,200 jobs will be lost following the merger of mobile phone giants T-Mobile and Orange, it has been confirmed.

Everything Everywhere announced today (Thursday) that it is shedding 7.5 per cent of its 16,000 strong workforce in the UK,

A spokeswoman for T-Mobile told the Welwyn Hatfield Times that workers at the company’s headquarters in Hatfield Business Park would be affected by the cuts – but it was not yet clear exactly how many jobs would go.

Staff working at T-Mobile’s retail outlet at the Howard Centre in WGC, however, are safe.

The cuts will only affect people working in back office, headquarter and management areas, as the new company seeks to remove duplicated roles.

Everything Everywhere chief executive Tom Alexander said in a statement that the company had “an incredible opportunity to deliver an unrivalled experience and unparalleled value to our customers”.

“To do that we need to ensure that we are operating with maximum efficiency, effectively serving our two brands while removing any unnecessary duplication from the business and, above all, making sure that we are set up to deliver for the future.

“It is therefore regrettable that some roles will need to be removed from our combined business. We will of course be doing everything we possibly can to mitigate the personal impact on our people and support them through this process.”

In July, the company cut several senior management jobs as part of the reorganisation.