UK call center to move 800 jobs to India

Sophie Hardach

LONDON: National Rail Enquiries' decision to move half their call centres to India is likely to wipe out over 800 jobs in Britain, a trade union leader said.

The train information line, one of the most used telephone numbers in the UK, awarded a five-year, 100 million pound ($183.4 million) contract to British Telecom and call centre operator Ventura on Wednesday.

"There are some 1,700 jobs in all and we expect about half of them to go," said David Fleming, general secretary of trade union Amicus.

Fleming, who heads the largest union representing manufacturing, technical and skilled workers, said Amicus would support members if they decided to take industrial action.

Cardiff-based outsourcing company Serco was one of the firms that lost their contract with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), which runs the helpline, in favour of Ventura.

"We are working hard to prevent losing any jobs in South Wales," a Serco spokesman said.

"There are 420 people who were all employed on the contract with ATOC."

Ventura declined to comment on possible job losses.

ATOC defended its decision, saying the move to call centres in Mumbai and Bangalore could save the company up to 25 million pounds ($45.85 million). "This is taxpayers' money that is paying for this service so if we can save money we are doing the British public a service," the company said.

© Reuters