Vodafone Group PLC (LSE:VOD) shares showed no reaction to a spotlight being shone in Parliament about the treatment of franchisees.
During business questions in the House of Commons, MP Justin Madders said: “I’m sure the department will have been aware of the coverage this week of some of the harrowing stories of the treatment of Vodafone franchisees.”
And he asked whether ministers would consider measures such as a statutory code or arbitration system to measures to redress a "power imbalance".
Business and trade minister Chris Bryant said: “I am happy to sit down with him and discuss whether there are specific proposals that we could bring forward which would address that issue of imbalance.”
Outside the chamber, former business minister Gareth Thomas told the Guardian that the case “continues to raise disturbing echoes of the Post Office scandal”.
Newspaper reports this week included one of suicide and attempted suicide among franchise store operators following commission cuts by Vodafone.
A group of 62 franchisees is pursuing a High Court claim alleging unjust enrichment.
A Vodafone spokesperson told the media: “While we are sorry if any partners have had a difficult experience, we reject any suggestion that our franchisees were put under undue pressure,” describing the legal claim as a "commercial dispute".
The company said it rejects suggestions that it "knowingly or recklessly or negligently" put anybody involved with its franchise stores under unreasonable pressure.
Shares in the company were up 1.2% to 95.4p on Friday morning, up over a third over the past year, having sunk to almost a three-decade low last year.