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Press Release: Union Demands That Lloyds Must Abandon Policy Of Replacing UK-Based Staff With Overse
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Date: 25th Jun 2009
The largest trade union representing Lloyds Banking Group staff has demanded that the Bank abandons its Offshoring Policy and stop flying staff from India into the UK to undercut pay and replace the jobs of existing UK-based IT Staff.
Over the past 12 months, the Lloyds Banking Group has not only increased to over 5,000 the number of jobs it has now transferred to India – in the process, replacing existing UK-based staff - but it has also been flying in to the UK hundreds of workers from India who have replaced existing UK-based IT staff and contributed to forcing down pay levels of IT Contractor staff.
The Bank has recently announced that from 18th July it will be slashing the rates of pay for existing IT Contractors by up to 15%.
Union Opposition To Offshoring
Lloyds TSB Group Union (LTU) - the independent trade union representing over 42,000 Lloyds Staff - which has vigorously opposed the Bank’s ‘Jobs To India’ policy, believes that replacing existing UK-based staff with lower paid staff from India raises very important issues and concerns:
1. It is wholly unacceptable that after announcing more than 5,700 job losses in the UK over just the last three months as a consequence of combining Lloyds TSB and HBOS operations – with analysts predicting at least 15,000 more job losses to follow – the Lloyds Banking Group should insist on retaining its policy of using Indian-based staff to take the jobs of its existing staff.
2. These circumstances are arguably even less justified than the cause of the Lindsey Oil Refinery dispute. At least Total has employed staff who, as EU workers, have a legal right to work in the UK. Lloyds Banking Group is flying lower paid staff over from India to undercut the pay and replace the jobs of existing UK-based staff.
3. The Government has important questions to answer over why, when it owns 43.4% of the Lloyds Banking Group after bailing the Bank out early this year, it should not be using its influence to force Lloyds into investing in - and protecting - the jobs of UK-based staff? Furthermore, why is it providing work visas to overseas workers, who would otherwise have no legal right to work in the UK, when it could instead force the Bank to invest in the jobs of existing workers in the UK?
Union Steps Up Campaign Against Offshoring
LTU is stepping up its campaign to force the Lloyds Banking Group into abandoning its ‘Jobs To India’ strategy – both where this has involved the transfer of jobs to India and where it has used India-based staff to come to the UK and take on jobs that could otherwise be done by existing UK-based staff.
Over the next few days all MP’s will be asked to support the Union’s campaign and to help pressurise the Government into using its 43.4% stake in Lloyds to force the Lloyds’ top management to act in the interests of UK jobs and the UK economy.
Union Comments
Steve Tatlow, Assistant General Secretary at LTU has said:
“It is wholly unacceptable that Lloyds should insist on maintaining over 5,000 jobs in India at the same time as it is making tens of thousands of its own staff in the UK redundant”
"This is a disgrace and arguably a lot worse than the causes of the Lindsey dispute. Here, workers from India who would otherwise have no legal right to work in the UK are being given work visas and flown into the country to take on jobs that could otherwise be given to existing UK-based staff”
"The Government should be using its 43% ownership of Lloyds to force the Bank’s Board to act in the best interest of UK jobs and the UK economy.”
About Lloyds TSB Group Union (LTU)
Lloyds TSB Group Union (LTU) is the largest independent trade union representing staff working in the Lloyds Banking Group, with well over 42,000 members. In large parts of the Bank, LTU represents over 90% of all managers and staff.
For More Information
Full details on these job reductions are available at www.ltu.co.uk/newsletters/17.
If you would like more information, you should contact Steve Tatlow on 01234 262868 or email to SteveTatlow@ltu.co.uk.
Steve Tatlow
Assistant General Secretary
Lloyds TSB Group Union
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