Strike fears over BT outsourcing plan

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NEWS
BT may be hit by industrial action over a plan to shift directory enquiries jobs to India. The Communication Workers' Union said that 700 workers may be affected by BT's outsourcing plans, and has contacted 3,500 workers outlining their intention to use "all means at our disposal to oppose the switching of work overseas, including industrial action if necessary." The telco is the latest company to go down the outsourcing path in order to cut labour costs. The trend is also affecting technical workers, with some of BT's broadband technical support already outsourced. BT would not confirm its plans, saying only that outsourcing was being considered. If the CWU calls for strike action, other BT businesses could be affected, including customer service. The union said that it believes billing, customer service, planning and conferencing are also scheduled for outsourcing. "Whilst it is only BT directories at the moment, our campaign is going to be across the whole of BT and all the workers," said CWU officer Sally Bridge. BT has already outsourced broadband technical support to Client Logic, a Watford-based firm with a call centre in Bangalore, as well as several centres in the UK, according to Bridge. The company has a trial of 25 narrowband contract workers in Bangalore. "Client Logic currently have a contract to deal with technical support for 1,000 workers. If that work goes out then that is of major concern for the CWU," Bridge said. India leads the outsourcing market, having a large English-speaking population, good levels of education and much lower wages than the UK. At a conference in London recently the president of Nasscom, India's National Association of Software and Service Companies, told delegates that "business process outsourcing" (BPO) allowed global companies to cut their IT budgets by 50 percent. A BT spokesman stated: "It is true that we are considering whether to establish contact centres in India but we have not made a final decision. We would stress that, whatever decision is reached, we would not destroy BT jobs in the UK, only to recreate them in India. And, in line with our usual practice, anyone who wanted to stay with BT would be able to do so and be re-trained and re-skilled, if necessary."
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Talkback

I fear that BT is taking the road which will eventually lead to its demise througha take over bid by another big player. A strike will ultimately kill Britain's flagship internet service provider.

There is no need for this. BT's technical services are first class and provide real value for money. Yet I am fearful of even committing myself to a continued Anytime supply, when before Christmas I had even ordered broadband.

The fault appeared to lay in a lack of a cohesive change over policy from one service to another. I have dealt with BT's staff all over the world and never once came away from a face to face chat unsatisfied with the result and decision. But having agreed a plan I later received e-mails which bore nothing on the agreed policy.

This resulted in yet more telephone calls - BT's real weakness being actually finding a person to talk to because of the telephone costs involved - again going through the same subjects and so on. Credits for free months are given. Then another e-mail at odds with 'human talk' and back to square one.

I am so sad to see BT in this state having been a loyal customer since 1997. And am sure BT's staff are equally sad, angry and confused. The clock cannot be put back because globilization - heavily pushed on by the internet - makes for a globalized work force. But what can be done is to bring all the frameworks to a central location which is easily and cheaply reached so both customers and staff can either agree about the service they want or log decisions made.

So I end on this note. Please BT Yahoo! decision makes look at where your going. Take note of the real feelings of your staff and the public. Don't let your excellent company go to the wall.

Thank you. If I am in error on any of the technical points I have raised this is solely in ignorance, not for any malicious purpose(s).

via Facebook 11 January, 2004 13:55
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