Varadkar: HSA has 'its role' in relation to Facebook moderator working conditions 

Last week, moderator Isabella Plunkett outlined her working conditions to the Oireachtas Enterprise Committee, describing how they have to view hate speech, bullying, graphic violence, suicide, abuse, and child exploitation on a daily basis.

Leo Varadkar has said the Health and Safety Authority "has its role" when it comes to the working conditions of content moderators for Facebook.

The Tánaiste was before the Oireachtas Enterprise Committee to discuss the treatment of moderators working on behalf of the social media giant.

Last week, moderator Isabella Plunkett outlined her working conditions to the committee, describing how they have to view hate speech, bullying, graphic violence, suicide, abuse, and child exploitation on a daily basis.

She said she had “horrible dreams” and had been taking anti-depressants for months as a result.

'A very difficult job'

The Tánaiste said on Wednesday morning that “we can all agree that moderators do a very difficult job”.

“It is a job which humans have to do, and a human brain has human emotions.” 

He said that while he hasn’t met with Facebook in recent months it is something he would “take an interest in going forward”. 

“In the meantime, the HSA ]Health and Safety Authority] has its role,” he said.

When it was suggested to him that people in such roles are not as adept at using the machinery of the State to represent themselves, Mr Varadkar suggested the issue of industrial relations for agency staff is something that could be looked at in the context of forthcoming employment legislation, on foot of a Supreme Court ruling that Workplace Relations Commission hearings should be held in public.

Non-disclosure agreements

In terms of non-disclosure agreements, which moderators have alleged they must sign and adhere to when commencing employment, Mr Varadkar said “there is something very odd and suspicious about people not being able to see a contract that they have signed”.

He agreed that, in the context of moderator work being outsourced by Facebook, “if people are doing the same work as directly employed people they should be getting the same psychological supports in terms of psychiatric care and wellbeing”.

I’m not against outsourcing, the Government does it all the time, but it shouldn’t be done by an employer as a means to avoid obligations.” 

He agreed there is an onus on the recruitment agencies who supply moderator workers to “give them the same protections as those who are directly employed”.

Shannon Airport

Regarding the closure of Aer Lingus’ staff base at Shannon Airport, meanwhile, the Tánaiste said that it is an issue he will “get involved with again as Enterprise Minister”.

“We need connectivity from the midwest and Cork to Britain,” he said, adding that the base had not been performing adequately according to Aer Lingus “for a number of years, and that needs to be discussed”.

“But it would be remiss of me not to point out that Aer Lingus called out our strict travel restrictions as to why the base is closing, and other people wanted even harder restrictions,” he said.