Belmullet jobs fear

Fears over Belmullet call centre jobs

Anton McNulty

FEARS are growing in Belmullet for the future of jobs in the Eurotel call centre, where it is believed the workforce may be reduced because of concerns over the weak dollar.
The Eurotel centre, which employs 80 full-time and 30 part-time staff, has been operating in Belmullet since 2002. Eurotel is located in the Údarás na Gael-tachta industrial estate and operates a dedicated quality control centre.
Eurotel Marketing Limited is a subsidiary of the ICT group that employs around 5,000 people worldwide. ICT also operates customer contact centres in Dublin and Athlone, but there was uncertainty regarding jobs in its Athlone centre last summer, with 60 workers reported to be on unpaid leave.
It is believed that the company has concerns regarding the strength of the euro over the US dollar and has expressed wishes to reduce the workforce. A spokesperson for Údarás na Gaeltachta confirmed to The Mayo News that the executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta and the management of ICT were engaged in ongoing talks but would not comment on the details of those discussions.