Enel call center contractor plans to deploy AI instead of workers in Puglia
Enel's new call center contract in Puglia reportedly permits replacing workers with AI systems from the second year onwards, putting approximately 2,500 jobs at risk across Bari, Lecce, and Taranto. Trade unions claim the arrangement violates social clauses and could trigger widespread job losses across the sector.
What happened
Enel's new call center contract includes provisions allowing the replacement of workers with AI systems from the second year of the contract onwards. Approximately 2,500 call center workers across Bari, Lecce and Taranto currently provide customer information services for Enel.
Trade unions Slc Cgil, Fistel Cisl and Ugl Tlc Puglia claim the new tender 'evades the territoriality of the social clause and puts thousands of jobs at risk.' The unions state that 400 employees nationally have already been affected through forced transfers hundreds of kilometres away and layoffs, with further impacts expected after the contract reopens in March.
Reported impact
The unions argue that using technological innovation to reduce employment creates uncertainty for hundreds of families. They contend that if this model is adopted, the entire call center sector could be overwhelmed, with consequences for data management and citizen privacy.
Index analysis
The unions characterize this as a dangerous precedent that could trigger a domino effect across the sector. They state that Enel, as a publicly held company, has a duty to translate positive financial results into policies protecting employment.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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