LABOUR MSP Monica Lennon said yesterday that she had reported concerns about a Covid-hit call centre in Scotland back in April after being inundated with complaints about the North Lanarkshire site.

Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman, who represents the affected area at Holyrood, confirmed that she had contacted police and public-health authorities regarding conditions at the centre after Sitel employees contacted her.

She had already written to the company in March, raising concerns about a lack of protective equipment in place. 

Six cases were reported on Sunday at the site in Bellshill, which is working on the test-and-trace programme for NHS England, and the number had risen to eight by Monday night.

Ms Lennon called for “sanctions against bad bosses who put public health at risk.”

She said: “Contact centres like Sitel in Lanarkshire, who run the site where there has been an outbreak, have been named and shamed for their treatment of staff when many of them could have worked from home.

“My office has previously had to report Sitel to the police and relevant health authorities earlier in the lockdown because of staff complaints.”

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard also wrote to the company raising concerns in March. In response, Sitel claimed at the time to be confident that the appropriate measures were in place.

Earlier this week, Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney did not rule out penalties for the company, having previously said that investigations are needed to “get an understanding” of how guidance was being followed within the call centre.

The STUC said that the outbreak underlined the need for strong safety guidance and trade-union engagement.

Deputy general secretary Dave Moxham said: “We must ensure that current conditions, not to mention the conditions required for any further return to work, are rigorously monitored.”

The outbreak at the call centre comes as Scotland’s number of new coronavirus cases continues to increase. 

Speaking at the Scottish government’s daily briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addressed the recent surge in cases, with 21 new ones reported on Saturday, 23 on Sunday, 7 on Monday and 22 yesterday.

The SNP leader said: “These figures are a sharp reminder of something that you’ve heard me say on a regular basis in Scotland: that the virus is still there.”