'999' workers to vote on strike action

Workers who take 999 emergency calls, including those based in Navan, are to ballot for industrial action.
The Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) will ballot members for industrial action in the national emergency call service operated under contract by BT Ireland/Conduit in three call centres in Navan, Donegal and Dublin.
The ‘999’ (Emergency Call Answering Service – ECAS) Branch of union will vote on possible strike action and the CWU has written to BT/Conduit to advise them of their intentions if there is no genuine effort on their part to resolve the issues at the centre of the dispute.
The ‘999’ workers are demanding that their employer, Conduit Global, “lifts wage levels to a living wage of €11.50 per hour, and immediately ends the oppressive working environment and management practices at the emergency call service.”
The CWU has also called for a review of ‘on-call’ policy towards its workers and full recognition of the rights of ‘999’ workers to representation and collective bargaining through their Union.
A spokesperson said CWU members within the national emergency call service have been campaigning for respect within the workplace from BT/Conduit for the last 18 months.
“The workers have written to the company, and have raised individual cases of oppressive management with the Workplace Relations Commission, and have lobbied both government and opposition TDs on their concerns .
“To date, the company has refused to meet with the CWU to discuss the issues affecting them. “Members feel they have now exhausted all avenues and have no alternative but to proceed with a ballot towards industrial action.
“Emergency call workers are delivering a vital public service and do so to a world-class standard. In May 2015, the Public Accounts Committee stated that the average speed of answer for a caller to ECAS is 0.6 seconds which is one of the fastest in Europe”.
CWU General Secretary, Steve Fitzpatrick, said: “The 999 workers are delivering a vital public emergency service and they play an essential role in the first responder services to protect life. It is unacceptable that they are paid low wages and are forced to endure a petty and vindictive management regime that flouts common decency and the respect that workers are entitled to in the workplace.
“Our members have now exhausted every avenue available to them to avoid balloting for industrial action but, by continuously ignoring their concerns, Conduit and BT Ireland left them with no other choice. These workers do a tough job that is of vital importance to the safety of the Irish public with little recognition of stress this entails and the dignity they are entitled to at their place of work.”
The emergency call ‘999’ service operates from three BT/Conduit sites at Eastpoint (Clontarf), Navan and Ballyshannon. The contract for the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) was awarded to BT Ireland in 2009 by the Department of Communications. BT then outsourced the work to Conduit Global.
In a statement issued by Conduit Global the company emphasized “its strong commitment to our employees who are the face of the 999 Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS).  
“Conduit Global is committed to providing each of these individuals with a level of compensation and benefits that is competitive in the Irish marketplace and reflects the strong level of service provided to the citizens of Ireland in their efforts to keep the population healthy and safe.
“In addition, Conduit Global is constantly striving to ensure that the specific needs of our employees are being met by way of established internal mechanisms that gauge levels of satisfaction and collect feedback on how to maintain a positive workplace atmosphere.  We believe that that our employees are best served individually, acting as their own voice, and we are fully engaged with our team to provide a satisfying and fulfilling working environment.
Declan Maguire,  General Manager of EU Operations and& Client Services at Conduit Global, said “We are proud of the role we play in delivering this critical emergency call handling service and at all times need to deliver it to the very highest standards that are expected by the public. “Conduit Global recognises that the ECAS service is one of the best 999 services in Europe‎ and does not under-estimate the quality of service our staff deliver each and every day. We are proud of the passion, commitment and enthusiasm that our 999 Emergency Call Answering Service team‎ demonstrates.  We always have and will continue to engage with them on an individual basis in an effort to ensure that their time working with us is as productive and enriching as possible.”
A BT Republic of Ireland spokesperson said, “We are disappointed that the actions of a trade union could jeopardise the service that one of our suppliers provides. We will take all steps to ensure that we maintain our commitments to this essential service.”
In November the company announced a 10 per cent pay rise for the Emergency Call Answering Service operators to €11 per hour, which was benchmarked against the rest of the contact centre industry, The Department of Communications said it had been in contact with BT, who operate the ECAS under contract from the Department, and is satisfied that contingency plans are in place to ensure that the emergency call answering service is maintained in the event of any industrial action.”