The management of Eircom's residential sales team is set to defect to one of its bigger competitors, Smart Telecom.

The Irish Times learned yesterday that Kieran Cremin, general manager, national residential sales, and at least four senior managers who work with him are leaving Eircom for Smart, a competitor that is focused on growing its residential broadband customer base.

Mr Cremin is likely to be joined by Maurice McCarthy, who handles direct sales, Sarah Manning, who is in charge of recruitment, Marie O'Donnell, who manages training, and James Gaskin, residential sales operation manager.

Others may also be considering a move. The departing staff constitute the management of Eircom's residential sales operation. They have responsibility for 300 sales staff.

The Irish Times understands that most if not all the individuals who are departing have clauses in their contracts forbidding them from working with Eircom's competitors for a year after leaving the company.

Many so-called non-compete clauses imposed by companies on employees are not considered enforceable by the courts, but employers have taken legal action in an effort to force departing workers to comply in the past.

An Eircom spokeswoman would not comment on the company's likely reaction to the move. However she added that "in relation to any employees moving to a competitor, there are contractual issues to consider".

Some of those departing are employed by a Counter Products Management (CPM), a company that acts as an Eircom agent and employs the bulk of its residential sales team. They are managed directly from Eircom itself, and work from one of its buildings in Dublin. CPM is 90 per cent-owned by an English company, CPM UK.