Abtran workers express concerns

By Steven Fox

A Cork-based call centre company which holds multiple contracts with state and semi-state agencies for customer service work has announced several new positions on one of these contracts in Eastern Europe.

Abtran, which operates a call-centre in Mahon, has announced 20 positions as part of its contract with Electric Ireland at a newly opened office in Iasi, Romania. The move was announced on the company’s internal platform.

However there is concern among workers at the company that the announcement is part of an effort to move jobs currently working on the contract outside of the country. The news has been met with criticism by the Independent Workers’ Union (IWU), which represents a number of Abtran employees in Cork city.

They argue that positions which form part of a contract with a state agency should not leave state boundaries. They have also accused Abtran of taking advantage of the much lower minimum wage in Romania.

“The minimum wage in Romania is almost half what it is in Ireland, which means Abtran will pocket an even greater cut of the monies paid to them by Electric Ireland. This is another step by the highly profitable company Abtran to maximise their profits at the expense of their customers in Ireland,” said the union in a statement.

The minimum wage in Romania is 24.50lei, which equates to €4.80. The minimum wage in Ireland is €13.50.

Both Abtran and Electric Ireland were contacted for comment, but neither responded in time for publication.

Abtran’s contract with Electric Ireland is reportedly worth around €30m. The company operates a number of contracts with various state and semi-state agencies in Ireland, including the National Drivers Licence Service, the Office of the Revenue Commissioner, Pobal, and Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI).