Telus to cut 2,000 jobs following Meta’s decision to shift operations away from Spain, unions confirm
Around 2,000 employees are being dismissed from a major content moderation centre in Barcelona after Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, reportedly terminated its contract with Telus International, a Canadian tech firm.
Local trade unions CCOO and UGT confirmed that Telus, which operates in Spain as CCC Barcelona Digital Services, informed affected staff via email on Thursday. Workers were immediately placed on paid leave—commonly known as “gardening leave”—as the company initiated shutdown procedures.
While the internal communication did not name Meta directly, union representatives and two staff members—speaking anonymously due to non-disclosure agreements—said the work carried out in the Barcelona office was on behalf of Meta.
The email explained that one of the company’s major clients had withdrawn its contract, prompting the sudden layoffs. Telus stated that their clients are diversifying operations and relocating services elsewhere, and added that it will offer assistance to those impacted by the decision.
Meta confirmed the shift, saying services previously handled in Barcelona had been redistributed to other sites. The tech giant insisted that its overall commitment to content review remained unchanged despite the move.
Over recent years, Meta has channelled vast resources into content moderation, hiring thousands globally. Yet, some of its strategies have shifted. Earlier this year, it cancelled its fact-checking initiative in the United States and announced it would no longer proactively monitor hate speech or rule violations, responding only to user-submitted reports.
On Thursday, operations at the Barcelona site—based in the iconic Glòries Tower—were suspended at midday. Employees on-site were asked to vacate the building. Staff will continue to receive their salaries while Telus negotiates severance packages with unions.
The moderation team supported multiple languages, including Catalan, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch and Hebrew. A current employee mentioned that the Barcelona centre often collaborated with Telus offices in Colombia, Bulgaria and Portugal.
