Outsourcing of Telus jobs from Cork to Romania to impact 22 jobs

The firm has been accused of outsourcing jobs in the company's Cork office to Eastern Europe

Offices of Telus International Ireland formerly VoxPro.

Redundancies at Canadian business services firm, Telus International were raised in the Dáil on Tuesday in which the firm was accused of outsourcing jobs in the company's Cork office to Eastern Europe.

Addressing the Taoiseach, Socialist TD, Mick Barry said that the team managing Telus' AirBnb account were being outsourced to Bucharest in Romania.

While a number of jobs will remain in Cork, 22 roles have been relocated, with affected staff being offered alternative roles within the company.

"These jobs should not be exported," Mr Barry continued. "This is a race to the bottom at its very worst." 

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for Telus International confirmed that the company had informed a group of team members that their employment would cease, saying, "We are in consultation with the team members affected. We are unable to provide any specific details due to standard NDAs with all of our clients."

"TELUS International is working to find assignments within other teams for affected team members and in instances where redeployment is not feasible or where team members have made the decision to seek employment elsewhere, we are supporting them with access to career planning services as well as dedicated wellness support.

"These changes are not a reflection of our team members’ efforts."

One of the staff members being redeployed is a social media support agent who has been working with Telus International since 2017.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the staff member said he was one of a number of employees working on an AirBnb team that was impacted by the outsourcing of jobs to Bucharest, calling the new role he has been reassigned to “a significant demotion.”

“My paycheck for this month is already less than the previous, I’ve been moved to a totally different job, one that I never wanted.” 

The staff member also said that because he had been reassigned, he was not eligible for a redundancy package, with a number of employees being faced with a similar situation.

The Department of Enterprise  confirmed to the Irish Examiner that it received collective redundancy notifications in relation to potential redundancies at Telus International on three seperate dates between February and May 2023, with the most recent being received on Friday, May 26th.

Employing more than 2,000 people in Cork and Dublin and more than 76,000 across its global operations, Telus International reported revenue of $686m (€639.5m) in the first three months of 2023, up by $87m and reflecting a 15% increase year-over-year.

Reiterating its full-year outlook for 2023, Telus International expects revenue of up to $3.03bn (€2.82bn), representing revenue growth in excess of 20% on a reported basis.

The Irish Examiner has contacted AirBnb for comment.