Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of emergency call answering service, ECAS, operators in Navan. Emergency call answering services are critical services. This is a front-line health service. These operators deal professionally with people who are often in the worst crises of their lives. It is a stressful job of great importance. The ECAS workers in Meath have been involved in a longstanding dispute with the company that has the State contracts, namely British Telecom. Workers have made serious allegations of historic bullying and intimidation of 999 operators and the workers have been treated disgracefully. At the heart of the problem is the fact that the Government is awarding contracts to companies that refuse to recognise trade union membership. Will the Taoiseach direct the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to convince British Telecom of its responsibilities to engage with trade union representatives? Will the Government ensure that workers have a right to trade union membership and that this is always recognised in State contracts?

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