MEDIA giant Sky has been accused of treating staff as if they are “stupid” after The National revealed call centre coronavirus concerns.

On Tuesday we revealed how Scottish Government Trade Minister Ivan McKee contacted police about operations at the multinational corporation’s east Glasgow offices.

Colleagues at the CityPark site found they were still seated less than two metres apart and told how it was “business as usual” at the centre, despite Scottish Government calls to close all non-essential workplaces and equip employees to work from home.

The UK Government has said such centres can stay open to help people stay connected to media services during the health crisis. But Sky employees in Glasgow told how customers seeking cheaper deals were still getting through automated systems designed to limit services to the most vulnerable and mobile phone SIM card sales were continuing.

Correspondence seen by this newspaper reveals how McKee – acting in his capacity as MSP for Glasgow Provan after constituents sought help – repeatedly urged the company to switch to remote working. On March 30, Sky told McKee it aimed to have half of all staff working from home “by mid-April”, and he accused it of “putting the health of your employees, their families and vulnerable people within society at risk” by staying open, adding: “I have had no option but to notify police.”

Glasgow City Council has confirmed that the matter was passed to its trading standards team as the relevant authority.

READ MORE: What it's like in a call centre during coronavirus lockdown

Anne McLaughlin, SNP MP for Glasgow North East, told one director how Scottish ministers “do not share your view that the staff you have on site are essential to business critical functions”, urging the company to “close down your operation at CityPark immediately”.

Now she has hit out after Sky bosses dismissed the concerns in a message warning staff not to speak to the press. It states that managers are “doing everything we can to support you and make sure you’re safe in work” and says social distancing is “rigorous” while teams keep “supporting those who need us most”.

But workers, who are not represented by a union, have told The National they are “riddled with anxiety” as they fear contracting and passing the virus to vulnerable relatives. A source said: “I am quite frankly shocked this has been allowed to continue for so long.

“I am now petrified for my own safety and the safety of my family.”

McLaughlin commented: “This is just stunning. Workers will have got that email as they sat well under two metres away from their colleagues. They are not stupid. They know it’s just words and I know how much this upset them. These men and women are frightened but powerless to do anything about it. It’s completely shameful. The workers have the local MP, the local MSP, other parliamentarians across Scotland and Scottish Government ministers telling them this is wrong and yet they refuse to listen.”

Reacting to the original story, Sky said: “We’ve reduced the numbers of staff who come into our contact centres to around 30% of usual volumes.

“We have rolled out rigorous social distancing plans and temperature checks within the office, as well as increasing workplace cleaning.”

Scotland is in lockdown. Shops are closing and newspaper sales are falling fast. It’s no exaggeration to say that the future of The National is at stake. Please consider supporting us through this with a digital subscription from just £2 for 2 months by following this link: www.thenational.scot/subscribe. Thanks – and stay safe.