Facebook is facing backlash from workers in Ireland, as they demand the right to work from home amid the pandemic.
Like many companies, Facebook pushed back its return-to-office date as the pandemic drags on, allowing employees to work from home until July 2021. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to apply to content moderators that are working as contractors via a third-party.
Subcontractors for Dublin-based CPL claim Facebook has forced them to return to the office, even as Ireland is in the midst of a level five lockdown, according to The Verge. Level five means that nonessential retail is closed and household visits are forbidden.
The contractors have taken their complaint to Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who has agreed to contact both Facebook and Covalen, a CPL subsidiary.
“They’ve made it abundantly clear that our health & safety and lives don’t matter to them,” said Paria Moshfeghi, a Facebook content moderator. “They’re forcing us into the office, putting us and our families at risk of COVID-19, even though our colleagues keep getting COVID. Facebook employees working on the similar content as us are safe and allowed to work from home. Why aren’t we?”