For immediate release 15 October 2003

LIFT RAIL CALL CENTRE JOBS THREAT - TSSA

TSSA, the UK's second largest rail union, has warned that remote sourcing of jobs is starting to have an impact on the rail industry as many of its call centre jobs are being touted overseas. TSSA has sole union recognition in Serco call centre in Cardiff which handles one of the National Rail Enquiries contracts, representing 300 call centre operators and supervisors.

The union warned that this could be the first time that public money -through subsidies to train operators and fares - for providing a service for the public would be spent on a workforce outsourced in this way.

Often call centres are the main employers in their area, so transferring large number of jobs will have a huge impact on whole communities. For instance, Dingwall, in the Scottish Highlands, is heavily reliant on Vertex's call centre for employment opportunities.

TSSA General Secretary Richard Rosser said: "Many of our members work in call centres selling rail tickets and answering train enquiries and this threat is causing them some anxiety.

"This is not a 'British jobs for British workers' argument. This is about ensuring that no-one is exploited. Our members are rightly concerned thatemployment standards and workplace rights in countries these jobs are going to wouldn't stand up to much scrutiny here.

"For the UK to lose jobs, because the private sector seeks to take advantage of inferior pay, conditions and union rights in developing countries is objectionable enough.

"For this to be subsidised by public money, given to train operators to help them provide the public service of selling rail tickets and passenger inquiries, is a step too far.

"The Government has rightly maintained that the UK has to be a 'high skills, high pay' economy. They must ensure that private operators, providing a service for which the public pays, does not fly in the face of that ethos."

ends

For further information, please contact:

Hannah Leggett, press officer (020) 7529 8059 or 07769 682806

(mobile)

Notes to Editors

1. TSSA represents 33,000 members in administrative, clerical,

managerial, professional and technical jobs in the railways, buses, the

London Underground, the travel trade, canals, ports and ferries, and road

haulage.

2. TSSA supported the following composite on this issue which was TUC

Congress 2003. The motion was passed.

Congress notes that some employers have outsourced work 'offshore',

particularly to countries with low-wage economies, as a key part of their

strategy to reduce costs, and the consequent effect upon the job security

and terms and conditions of UK workers.

Congress notes that the areas of work being remotely sourced are diverse

and include such activities as call centres, IT, software development and

support, travel and tourism.

Congress further notes that much of the outsourcing involves customer

service work, directly or indirectly subsidised from the public purse,

from areas of the UK which would themselves benefit from additional

employment opportunities.

Congress notes that recent research has forecast that 100,000 UK jobs will

relocate to India by 2008 and that a third of UK call centres will close

by 2005, with a loss of 90,000 jobs.

This decline will inevitably have a disproportionate effect upon those

parts of the UK, such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, the north of England

and Wales, which bore the brunt of the massive job losses in traditional

industries witnessed during the Thatcher years and then saw the growth of

the call centre and service industries.

Congress agrees that it would be dangerous to respond to such employer

initiatives with arguments that could be misconstrued as arguing for

'British jobs for British workers'. Our aim must be to protect our members

at home and ensure compliance with decent labour standards abroad.

Congress believes that, with the emergence of a global labour market, a

global organising strategy is required. Congress urges affiliated unions

to work within their Global Union Federations to ensure compliance with

ILO core labour standards, including the conventions on the right to

organise and on collective bargaining throughout company supply chains.

Congress calls upon the General Council to undertake a detailed study of

the current position, as well as the implications for jobs and the UK

economy. The General Council is instructed to place a full report to next

year's Congress and make direct representations to Government on these

issues.