MORE THAN 140 workers at Derry call centre Firstsource are facing disciplinary hearings in the largest case of its kind ever in the North with the internal investigation widening by the day to include staff at all levels, Derry Daily has learned.
Sources who tipped us off when we broke the story last week have now confirmed to us the internal inquiry has widened following complaints by client company Sky TV.
Insiders say staff who allegedly mis-sold TV packages to customers are being accused of fraud because of bonuses they received.
However all those staff members say they do not believe they acted outside the instructions they were given and are categorically denying the allegations being levelled at them.
Source say Sky are furious; and are demanding a full explanation from Firstsource with details wanted on each and every case.
“The answer lies in the fact that 140 people were all allegedly mis-selling products to customers all at the same time,” said one well-placed insider.
“So the investigation has widened out across the company. I personally have never had any problems working for Firstsource and have enjoyed my time there but I went to Derry Daily because attempts to raise the suspensions elsewhere fell on deaf ears and I felt what was happening was unfair.”
The whistleblower – one of several who contacted us last week – added: “It is a very sad week for the company. So many families depend on working here and this has the potential to damage all of them. It is causing huge distress to the workers facing disciplinary hearings and it is causing huge distress to everyone else.
Liam Gallagher from the Unite union said: “We believe that they (call agents) are being scapegoated.
“We believe yes there is a problem with this contract, we don’t believe that the problem arose from these workers, the problem arose elsewhere.”
Meanwhile union officials are working to get as many workers as possible signed up to join a union.
They also want to deal separately with allegations made about other working practices at Firstsource.
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