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India to get Cardiff call-centre jobs Feb 5 2004
 
The Western Mail
 
FEARS that National Rail Enquiries jobs from Wales could be lost to
India have proved well-founded, with news that half of all calls to
the service are to be handled from the sub-continent.

The Association of Train Operating Companies yesterday revealed BT and
Ventura had won �100m five-year contracts from April following an
"exhaustive" tendering process.

BT's calls will be answered by their partner ClientLogic at centres in
Derby, Newcastle and Bangalore, in India. While Ventura's calls will
be answered in Dearne Valley, south Yorkshire, and Bombay, in India.

Around 150,000 people call the rail enquiries number every day and
under the new contracts half will be answered by the centres in India.

National Rail Enquiries services had been run by the Cardiff-based
Serco call centre, which employed 420 people in the city.

The company learned in December that its contract with The Association
of Train Operating Companies was not being renewed.

Chris Scoggins, chief executive of National Rail Enquiries has made no
secret of his support for outsourcing call centre operations to India.

Announcing the new contract yesterday he said, "We have undertaken an
exhaustive and thorough tendering process which has led us to select
two high quality partners on the basis of quality, reliability and
value for money."

But Union leaders last night condemned the move.

David Fleming, a national officer of Amicus, said, "At a time when
some firms are making business decisions to return to the UK it is
absurd to think that half of all rail inquiries will be handled better
from thousands of miles away.

"This decision, on the back of today's report by The National Audit
Office that new trains were often less reliable, spells disaster for
the British travelling public."

BT said a "significant" amount of work will remain at its two centres
in Derby and Newcastle upon Tyne.

A spokesman said the business was now very competitive, adding he
believed it was significant that the two successful firms had included
an element of overseas work.