An outsourcing company paid at least €210 million in state contracts since 2012 charges the HSE almost €30 an hour per worker for a major contract – while these workers are paid the minimum wage.
Members of the Independent Workers’ Union (IWU) at the company this week voted to take industrial action, having already launched a pay claim for a wage increase to €15 an hour. “We call on Abtran to listen to their workers and materially improve their lives by putting more money in their pockets,” said IWU general secretary Jamie Murphy.
Abtran’s head of HR Noreen O’Sullivan meanwhile said the company has a “collegiate and co-operative relationship” with its employees.
€29.27 for Atran. €12.70 for the worker
Outsourcing company Abtran was founded in 1998. Founder Michael Fitzgerald has said the company manages “contact centres on behalf of large companies and government organisations”.
It’s won several contracts with the HSE. In 2021 Sinn Féin TD Mairéad Farrell questioned health minister Stephen Donnelly about the value of Covid-19-related contracts awarded to Abtran, with the HSE responding with an estimated figure of €4,140,500.
Workers at the company’s Cork and Sligo bases work on one of these contracts, carrying out support work for the HSE.
According to a recent invoice, reviewed by The Ditch, the HSE pays Abtran €29.27 an hour per worker. In turn Abtran pays these workers €12.70 per hour.
Independent Workers’ Union members at Abtran have already launched a pay claim and have this week voted for industrial action.
“The workers indicate that pay is a burning issue in the company along with the other issues highlighted in our pay claim. Instead of addressing these things, management are keen on insisting they will not engage with the union,” said the union’s general secretary, Jamie Murphy.
Abtran HR head Noreen O’Sullivan said the company won’t engage with the union, adding that the IWU has “engaged in an unwarranted campaign to target our company and our workforce”.
“Abtran is a responsible and caring employer and operates fully in line with every aspect of employment legislation, regulatory processes and codes of practice in its employee relations, and any assertion to the contrary would be inaccurate. We have an overall commitment to investing in people, with a positive and supportive environment for everyone throughout our organisation,” she said.
