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.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel