Insurance giant Prudential today confirmed plans to cut 850 UK jobs as part of a move to create a new call centre operation in India.

The group said the new centre in Bombay would be fully operational by the end of 2004 and result in staff numbers at Reading, Berkshire being reduced by 850 over the next two years to around 1,400.

Prudential said the job export exercise would reduce costs for the group's UK insurance business.

Amicus, the union which leaked details of the job losses ahead of today's formal announcement, said it would be seeking urgent meetings with the company over the job losses.

A spokesman said meetings would also be held with the workforce to discuss the job losses as well as the earlier announcement by the Pru that the company's final salary pension scheme would not be offered to new employees.

A union spokesman said: "It may be time for the workforce to stand up and fight.

"The Pru's reaction to our leaking of this announcement was we were guilty of a breach of trust but they have breached the trust of their own workers.

"When they started telling people last week about their plans they were asked if it was consultation but they simply said, no, they were merely informing the workers of their decision.

"Because of that outrageous behaviour we had no choice but to warn the staff, and the country, just what sort of company the Pru really is."

The union said it feared other companies could follow suit and switch call centre work abroad.