Despite walkouts by thousands of workers over the past couple of weeks, German carrier Deutsche Telekom is to go ahead with its plan to transfer staff members to three legally independent service companies.

The changes will take place by July 1 at the latest, the company said on Friday.

Earlier this month, more than 15,000 workers went on strike, as the German incumbent drew fire over plans to outsource 50,000 staff to three new companies, with new contracts expected to include lower wages and longer working hours.

The strikes targeted technical infrastructure engineers, call centres and high street retail outlets.

Trade union Ver.di has consistently rejected Deutsche Telekom’s terms, demanding that the company offers more money and a long term agreement in return for its consent to the transfer.

The threat of industrial action further darkened the skies over Deutsche Telekom, which saw profits plummet 58 per cent to Eur459m during the first quarter, as traditional fixed line customers continued to abandon the operator.