Callous firm tells staff: Move to Philippines or be axed without pay

[Rodbouy]

Source Daily Record

CALL centre bosses have told 400 workers they are being axed without redundancy pay - unless they move to the Philippines.

Workers at the TSC call centre near Falkirk were given the sickening news yesterday that the plant is closing.The move comes after telecoms giant T-Mobile ended their contract with them.

But bosses have told staff they will not get any redundancy pay as they are being offered posts 7000 miles away in the Pacific nation's capital Manila.

Outraged workers last night accused bosses of trying to fiddle them out of redundancy pay .

One worker at the plant in Larbert, Stirlingshire, told the Record : "It 's bad enough that we're losing our jobs.

"To be told we're not getting any redundancy pay because we're being offered jobs in the Philippines. is just ridiculous.

"If we decide not to go there, they say we are making ourselves unemployed.

"How can workers with families and responsibilities in Scotland just up-sticks and move 7000 miles away?"

Documents leaked to the Daily Record show workers will have their employment transferred to a company in the Philippines. called 24/7 Customer Inc on July 31. The documents, handed out to staff yesterday, explain that workers can transfer their jobs to the Philippines. company - and if they don't, they will get no redundancy pay .

The company say they have a "moral" obligation to give axed workers a payment but they have no right to a formal redundancy payment. But workers say the payments will be a fraction of what they would get under a legal redundancy pay-out.

The document tells employees: "If you opt out you would technically be t e r minating your employment with us.

"If you refused to transfer, 24/7 could then dismiss you for an 'economic, technical or operational' reason'."

Workers learned in April that T-Mobile were ditching the call centre and transferring the work toManila.

But there was widespread anger yesterday when staff learned they were not going to get any redundancy if they objected to moving to the Pacific.

A spokesman for TSC insisted the company were doing nothing wrong.

He said: "We are going through a process of transferring employees to another company. We are doing everything by the book.

"Staff will still receive a payment if their employment is terminated."

But politicians last night reacted with fury.

John Park, Labour's skills and economy spokesman, called the move "disgusting".

And Solidarity party leader Tommy Sheridan asked: "How are people supposed to go and work in the Philippines. It's one hell of a commute,that's for sure.

"Our labour laws are a shambles, allowing companies to walk all over people."

 

[mojo247]

you can not be serious...

pretty crazy tbh

 

[chronoman]

THIS IS REDICULOUS.
Theer needs to be a mass boycot of any firm that deals with this company if they are not doing the right thing to employees.
Too much transfres like this to foreign lands for cheap labour.
If we boycoted companies doing this they would soon be back in uk but it would need to be done in mass

 

[MikeS]

the positions are not classed as suitable alternative positions thus they will not be resigning if refusing to take the alternative position

they are not suitable due to distance

99% of companies now only offer statutory redundancy now if you have 2 years continuous service

statutory redundancy is basically

notice period of contract, ie 4 weeks after a year of service

week for every year of service including initial 2 years service to qualify for redundancy [i.e 3 yrs service is 3 weeks pay]

accrued holiday - legal min is 28 days so divide that by 12 and point of redundancy from start of holiday year minus any holiday taken

so in essence u worked for a company for 3 years and are being made redundant, statutory requirements are 7 weeks pay + holiday which is FA really

so those staff should get the statatory minimum and the government will pay out or intervene if the company goes under during redundancy or refuses to pay out

He said: "We are going through a process of transferring employees to another company. We are doing everything by the book.

"Staff will still receive a payment if their employment is terminated."

they will do what any other company will do and give employees the minimum pay based on statatory rights which is FA but completly standard procedure by most companies

did you know the maximum statutory redundancy payment is 9000 pounds, maximum of 33 weeks pay x £300, companies don't legally have to pay more than 300 quid per week for each year of service

you dont know if that call centre is full of temps or has a high turnover of staff with average service periods of 12 months, if every member of staff had less than 2 years service then the company dont have to pay out redundancy, just 4 week notice period for consultation and notice based on contract for specific length of service, i.e 4 weeks for a year & onwards

 

[srgberian]

hate scum companys like these,if any 1 finds out who uses there call centers for business,post it up,i wil boycot em .

 

[Thommo]

sad thing is there not the only ones doing it, i know a few lads that got the bullet like this, only reason this is news is it made the papers but its been going on years.

 

[stevie1ball]

What is this country coming to, If we loose anymore work to other countries there wont be anything left.
Think its time for a Coillision Government or a major change in the Political Structure behind running this country.
This sort of sculduggerry should be made illegal and people respected for the work they have done and the payment of redundancy monies to warrant this.
FIGHT THEM ALL THE WAY AND STAY UNITED.

 

[Firemouth]

if the worker take it to a tribunaral, which is the only way to solve problems with redundancy, they will win. only thing is, we will pay, not the company, and it will take another 6-12 months to get your money.
humm, and the link is dead now! i wonder if there has been some, misreporting, or the company has backtracked fast.

 

[Seedy_r0m]

if the worker take it to a tribunaral, which is the only way to solve problems with redundancy, they will win. only thing is, we will pay, not the company, and it will take another 6-12 months to get your money.
humm, and the link is dead now! i wonder if there has been some, misreporting, or the company has backtracked fast.

Yep...backtracked

TSC deny redundancy payment risk

More than 400 TSC staff working in Larbert and Greenock face the axe




Call centre bosses have denied workers whose jobs are being moved to the Philippines will receive no payout if they are made redundant.

The guarantee comes from Telecom Services Centre (TSC) who announced in April that its main contractor T-Mobile wanted to move 400 UK jobs to Manila.
Workers had feared payouts could be jeopardised after it was suggested they move overseas to keep their jobs.
However, TSC said no staff member would "lose out financially".
Since confirming that it was moving its work from TSC to Manila, T-Mobile have formed a new partnership with outsourcing firm 24/7 Inc who will take on the Philippines contract.
The move will see 300 of TSC's 500 Larbert-based staff lose their jobs unless a new contractor is found to replace T-Mobile.
A further 118 jobs at the firm's call centre in Greenock are also at risk.

'Unfortunate situation'
On Thursday TSC told staff redundancy agreements would be considered under legislation known as the Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (Tupe).
The regulation is designed to protect employees when one business is transferred to another.
It also states that new service providers must bear all the employee liabilities of the former company.
This could leave 24/7 Inc responsible for the redundancy costs of TSC staff.
A spokesman for TSC said: "We have been advised by experts in employment law that this is the correct procedure in what is an exceedingly complicated situation.

As a former trade union official I thought I had witnessed all the tricks but obviously not

John Park
Labour economy spokesman

"The steps we are taking are considered necessary and appropriate because we have an obligation in law to go through this procedure carefully and methodically."
The spokesman said that bosses were "fully engaging" with employees and were keen to see their interests were served.
He added: "We would stress that staff have been assured that regardless of the outcome of this unfortunate situation they will not lose out financially."
Local SNP MSP Michael Matheson said: "TSC has stressed to me that they will treat their staff financially in the normal way that they would if they were being made redundant.
"But they have also got some difficulties in trying to deal with the legal complications which have now arisen as a result of T-Mobile offshoring this contract to the Philippines."
Labour hit out angrily at the company, accusing it of "fiddling" staff.
Labour economy John Park said: "As a former trade union official I thought I had witnessed all the tricks but obviously not.
"I am disgusted that this company is trying to fiddle workers out of their redundancy pay."
TSC, which operates seven sites in Scotland and one at Dearne Valley in South Yorkshire, provides contact centre staff across the business sector.

BBC News
13 June 2009

 

[Rodbouy]

It would be good if we could all as a country start to switch suppliers of say tv, phone, bank if they have NON UK call centres, as if they supply a service in this country then they should have a UK call centre. I have done this already where I can. I have gas and electric and Bank so far. If more people follow suit then they would have to listen, its not as if they would just stop supplying a service.

 

[Firemouth]

It would be good if we could all as a country start to switch suppliers of say tv, phone, bank if they have NON UK call centres, as if they supply a service in this country then they should have a UK call centre. I have done this already where I can. I have gas and electric and Bank so far. If more people follow suit then they would have to listen, its not as if they would just stop supplying a service.

yep, i feel you got it right there. i did suggest to BG, i think, that i was unhappy with dealing with a guy/woman in Mumbi (who totally misunderstood what a pre pay meter was). i was told they would not accept racist comments and i would be reported for them. things are fcuked up. workers and customers are no longer important. only share holders and dividends, matter.