About 130 sacked Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCCW) staff yesterday sought jobs with rival telecommunications operator Hong Kong Broadband Network.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of City Telecom International, Hong Kong Broadband Network began a three-day recruitment exercise at its Kwai Chung headquarters a week after its main rival, PCCW, axed 858 jobs.
The company plans to hire between 70 and 100 staff in eight job categories, including customer service executives, technicians and engineers.
Applicants yesterday sat a written test and attended interviews. The firm said that of 150 applications received, 90 per cent were from former PCCW staff. Only 20 people from yesterday's interviews would be invited back for more screening next Monday. Successful applicants could make up to $18,000 a month, depending on the job and their qualifications, the company said.
One former PCCW worker who turned up yesterday, Mr Chan, said he had worked for 22 years with PCCW and Hongkong Telecom. He said he was so desperate to land one of the jobs that he missed a training session for another job that he had secured as an estate manager.
'I found a job as an estate officer last Wednesday and was due to attend a training session this morning when I learnt about this. It is a golden opportunity that I cannot afford to miss,' he said.
Mr Chan earned about $18,000 a month as a technical officer until his dismissal last Monday. He said he was prepared to take a 30 per cent pay cut for a similar job.