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Telecommunications giant EE has stressed employees at its six huge call centres are classed as key workers and that only essential staff are still in the buildings during the coronavirus crisis, after receiving criticism from some employees.

The mobile network operator and internet service provider employs 1,300 people at its base in Plymouth, and thousands more in five other centres: Merthyr Tydfil, Greenock, Darlington, Doxford and North Tyneside.

The company stressed it, and its workforce, are providing an essential and important function, keeping the nation connected during the COVID-19 contagion.

But it has been criticised by some employees who claim sales and customer service staff are still operating and debating whether they are providing an essential function.

There have been questions raised about whether debt collection teams are key too, and one worker said: “There are people coming in because they think they have to even though they are high risk.”

But EE stressed its workers have all been classed as essential by the Government and said only those able to come in during the pandemic, and those who can’t work from home, are on the Plymouth site.

EE said it has suspended “all proactive sales and marketing activities” and stressed: “We have been asked by the Government to keep our vital services running.”

The company, which has also come under fire for hiking monthly bills by 2.2% for millions of º£½ÇÊÓƵ customers just as the virus lockdown began to bite, has furthermore stressed that cleaning regimes have been ramped up at its contact centres.