Shaw Communications to lay off 400 workers

Shaw Communications says it plans to lay off 400 employees in Western Canadaabout three per cent of its workforceas it tries to consolidate operations.

The Calgary-basedcompany said the changes will be focused on bringing its cable, satellite, internet and home phone services under one umbrella to make them more efficient.

CBC has confirmed140 of those jobs arein Calgary, but no offices are closing.

"The roles and structure we established years ago to support us as a cable company can no longer support our growth," Brad Shaw, the company's CEO said in a news release.

"We are eliminating duplication of work and organizing our activities and operations in a way that best meets the needs of our customers and viewers."

The reworked operations will be divided into two units one for the company's residential consumers and another for business customers.

The company also said it is hiring upwards of100 people to support the new structure.

Shaw has 3.4 million customers and employs over 14,000 people, mostly in Alberta and British Columbia, with smaller operations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Shaw Media, the division of the company that operates Global television network and specialty channels like HGTV and the Food Network Canada, will continue to operate as a stand-alone unit.