A union has called for an EU inquiry into the economic impact of switching call centre and other UK jobs to India.

The call comes the week after Norwich Union announced that up to 40 compulsory redundancies could be made at its Worthing offices. The company wants to relocate 2,350 clerical and call centre jobs nationwide to India.

Boss Richard Harvey said the firm had to remain competitive following similar 'offshore' moves by BT, Abbey, American Express and Prudential.

Today the union Amicus said it wanted any Europe inquiry to be deeper than the study announced last week by Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt.

Research has suggested that two million jobs will migrate from western economies to India by 2008, most of which will be skilled business service jobs rather than low skilled call centre work.

Union officials were meeting MEPs and will follow up the talks with a European conference in the New Year.

David Fleming, national officer of Amicus, said: "We are not asking for walls to be put up around Europe.

"We want to develop a strategy to deal with changing technology and to safeguard against offshore providers who are trying to put the fear of death into finance companies by telling them their share price will go into a tailspin unless they move offshore.

"The USA has already offshored 200,000 finance sector jobs in the last 12 months and 8,500 have left the UK since October. This is a global issue and we need global solutions."

Tuesday December 09, 2003