Fury over HSBC pat on back for India

13 April 2012

BANKING giant HSBC has veered into a new storm by suggesting its cut-price workers in India make fewer mistakes than British staff.

The bank's claim ignited fury at finance union Unifi, which is calling a meeting on Saturday to discuss possible strike action.

HSBC has already announced it is shipping 4,550 jobs to India and other cheap-labour Third World locations, while shedding a net 6,500 UK staff.

Research by the bank suggested UK staff made 50 mistakes for each million transactions, compared with only eight mistakes by overseas workers.

Rob O'Neill, Unifi national secretary, said British workers' performance was dragged down because they had to correct errors made by overseas colleagues.

'Our members will be furious,' he said.

HSBC said: 'All our staff are very good. We are simply responding to attacks by the union on our people in India and Malaysia.'

The bank's former chief executive Sir Keith Whitson created a furore two years ago when he took a swipe at the British work ethic, suggesting that staff in Indian call centres were keener and better educated.

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