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Industrial Action Ballot Over Manchester Job Cuts
LONDON, October 29 /PRNewswire/ -- LONDON, October 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite the union is to ballot 176 members today (Wednesday) at French IT company Steria in Manchester and Skelmersdale, in a bid to prevent compulsory redundancies and the transfer of their work to India. The workers, most of whom were outsourced from the Co-op's financial services arm to Steria in 2007, were told in the summer that a third of their IT support work for the Co-op was being off shored, with a loss of 90 jobs. As too few workers volunteered for redundancy, Steria is now proposing to make over 30 workers from Arndale House in central Manchester compulsorily redundant. Arrangements agreed last year involved Steria delivering cheaper IT services to the Co-op by getting work done in India. These arrangements are expected to continue after the current round of cutbacks and, with the Co-op looking for accelerated offshoring by Steria, it is expected that some 70% of the work will eventually be done in India. Unite is opposing these moves and is beginning an industrial action ballot among its members this week. Unite officer, Richard Lynch said: "We are appalled that work is being transferred to India forcing workers out of their jobs at this time of economic downturn and rising unemployment, just to maximise profits for Co-op and Steria. "We do not consider this either fair or ethical and we have had no option but to recommend to members that they vote for action to prevent current and future redundancies and to put the brakes on the increasing transfer of UK jobs to other countries." The Unite ballot, which asks members to vote on a strike and other forms of industrial action, will conclude on 10 November 2008. LONDON, October 29 /PRNewswire/ --
