The Communication Workers Union has called on Eir to clear up uncertainty and offer reassurances to its employees following a court case that disclosed workers were threatened with potential disciplinary action for complying with legal provisions pertaining to customer grievances. According to a case in Dublin District Court, brought up by ComReg, Eir and Eircom, its parent firm, admitted to numerous legal infringements in relation to failing to acknowledge customer complaints promptly and provide solutions within a ten-day work period, among other things.
During the proceedings, an employee guidebook from Eir surfaced which was brought forward by ComReg. The regulator identified that the guidebook cautioned staff about possible disciplinary actions for adhering to the law regarding customer grievances.
January amendments to Eir’s complaints protocol prohibited customers from lodging a complaint by dialling the provided customer support number. Additionally, the employee guidebook prevented the staff from divulging the separate number designated for complaints.
No individual or organisation is exempt from the law, remarked Sean McDonagh, the general secretary of CWU, on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland radio show. He also emphasised his duty as a general secretary is to ensure the appropriate application of processes and procedures on their members.
He expressed that the union will not accept any form of action taken by a company to impose disciplinary action on people who find themselves in such circumstances. While there’s been no reports yet of requests for representation, the union has reached out to the senior management seeking clarifications in light of the court ruling. They have urged for an apology to the staff as indicated by the judge and have also requested a revision of the employee guidebook mentioned in the decision.