The Ministry of Labor and Teleperformance are giving sharply different accounts of how the company’s collective dismissal process is unfolding. While the Government insists that “several irregularities” were detected and not corrected, Teleperformance maintains that the entire procedure has followed the law and rejects any wrongdoing.
The case dates back to October 14, when the collective dismissal of 200 workers at Teleperformance — a company employing more than 14,000 people in Portugal — first became public. At the time, the company justified the decision by citing a “volatile business environment” in Europe, with no signs of improvement heading into 2026. The method of communication also sparked controversy, as affected employees were notified via video call, prompting Left Bloc and PCP to question the Ministry of Labor.
In its response last week, the Ministry revealed that DGERT had identified “several irregularities” in the process and issued a warning to the company that went unanswered. Teleperformance quickly countered, saying all requests for clarification from DGERT and ACT were addressed within deadlines and that no irregularities exist.
Clarifying the situation, the Ministry told ECO that DGERT found “procedural” shortcomings, potentially involving failures in communication with workers’ representatives, insufficient justification for the dismissals, or breaches of legally required deadlines and formalities. Since these issues were not resolved, the case has been forwarded to the Authority for Working Conditions (ACT), which will now monitor the entire process until contracts are formally terminated.
Despite this, Teleperformance continues to reject the Ministry’s findings, saying the dismissal process has been “in strict compliance with the law” and that the company has ensured proactive and transparent communication with all affected employees.
According to the Ministry, the initial notice submitted by Teleperformance covers 218 workers — 103 in operations and 115 in support functions — across Lisbon, Porto, and Covilhã. The company cites economic, market, and structural reasons, noting it has lost 25 projects and seen four others partially reduced at the request of clients.
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