350 Irish Water temporary jobs

Irish Water’s Cork call centre is set to hire an extra 350 staff to deal with the expected increase in calls once the utility issues its first bills next month.

The Abtran call centres in Mahon and Curraheen will recruit the extra staff for the temporary positions in the coming weeks.

“Irish Water is in the final stages of preparation for billing with first bills due to issue in April,” a spokesperson said yesterday.

“Irish Water is anticipating an increased volume of calls over this period. This is the first time customers will receive a water bill and we will encourage customers to call with any queries they have in relation to their bills.

“In preparation for dealing with a high volume of customer queries and ensuring our customer experience meets the expectations of our customers, Abtran is hiring an additional 350 people,” she said.

There are currently 450 people employed in Cork as Irish Water call-centre staff. The Abtran centre hit headlines last November after it received an Irish Water application pack smeared with human excrement.

Gardaí were notified after a staff member noticed the offensive material.