News

Organised to mark UNI Global Union’s annual Call Centre Action Month, the CWU Ireland held its first Call Centre Forum on Saturday 12^th November in Dublin. The event brought together call centre workers from all parts of the country and industry together. The event was held on a Saturday specifically to accommodate those members who work for ‘anti-union’ employers and who would not have been released to attend mid-week. Considering everyone who came did so on their own time, the turn out was very positive with workers from call centres as diverse as An Post, American Airlines, O2, Siemens and Vodafone. 

 

Pictured: CWU Ireland Call Centre Representatives

The Call Centre industry continues to change both in Ireland and abroad. Large numbers of Irish jobs are being ‘off-shored’ and those jobs that remain are under increasing pressure for ever greater productivity. This pressure causes many problems for workers including unreachable targets, poor work-life balance and the stress and health issues that result. We believe that call centre workers are no different to any other and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace. The aim of the UNI Call Centre Action Month and the CWU Call Centre Forum is to develop strategies that encourage call centres to operate according to the principles of quality employment. 



The day started with general introductions to break the ice. Attendees were asked to share stories about an issue or incident at work and how it was resolved – if it was. It was instantly apparent how workplaces with union representation compared with those who had no such support. During this discussion, attendees were asked to candidly identify where the union could improve and what other supports are necessary for members in these situations. 



The members were then given a crash course in what a well-organised workplace looks like. The purpose of this exercise was to help the attendees to identify where the problems were in their workplace and to work toward addressing them. Issues such as poor (or non-existent) branch structure and poor communication were some of the most obvious problems that were recognised as being major issues in the ‘anti-union’ companies. 



Finally, in the afternoon, participants were asked to build a ‘Call Centre Charter’. Every aspect of work in the contact centre industry was covered. Breaks and leave, pay and benefits, targets and health and safety were all discussed. The purpose of this exercise was not simply to talk about existing laws, it was about the ideal conditions that we would all hope to work under in a call centre environment. 



All these standards are being compiled into a Charter for call centre working. This document can be used to engage with employers to adopt these best practices and to recognise where there is room for improvement in workplaces. 



The event was a great success. Participants expressed their enjoyment of the day and appreciated the opportunity to meet other workers who faced the same obstacles in their daily work. The CWU will continue to engage with its members to address the challenges faced by call centre workers and will work toward changing the landscape for the better. 



Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin - CWU Ireland