Sir, – We note your January 22nd coverage ("Emergency call staff to ballot for industrial action"), of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) call for a ballot of our workers at the 999 service centres (who are non-unionised), and would like to reply.
It has been reported that our workers have unacceptably low wages, but with their hourly pay rate and annual bonus they earn on average more than the living wage (which has not yet been formalised by the Irish Government but is expected to be in 2020). The “on-call” policy, which is referred to in your article, is necessary for an emergency service like 999 to ensure coverage should absence occur, and is fully explained at the recruitment, onboarding and contracts stage.
At Conduit Global, we are always working to make sure that the needs of our front-line team members are being met through regular engagement mechanisms that foster feedback collection.
These important tools are designed to gauge levels of each team member’s satisfaction, so as to maintain a positive working environment.
We believe that each of our team members is best served individually when they act as their own voice, and as such, we are fully engaged to provide a workplace where they can flourish. – Yours, etc,
JIM FARNSWORTH,
President,
Conduit Global,
Third Floor,
660 Madison Avenue,
New York.