BG Moving To India

rosscobley

Hi there

There have been some radio news bulletins reporting that BG are moving jobs to India and cutting around 2000 jobs here in the UK.

I've checked the BBC News website, and can confirm the following:

British Gas to cut 2,000 UK jobs




British Gas has confirmed that it is to cut 2,000 jobs at sites in Manchester, Oldham and Solihull.
Up to 1,000 of these back office jobs will be outsourced to India, a British Gas spokesman told BBC News.

"With new billing systems, we will not need anything like the number of back office data processors," the spokesman added.

The Unison union called the cuts "completely unacceptable" and warned that they may lead to strike action.

"No-one should be fooled that these savings will go towards reducing customer's bills or improving services," the union said.

"This is a devastating blow for the North West and West Midlands," the GMB union added.

Job losses are unlikely this year, the company said in a statement, adding that it was still in consultations with unions.

Call centres safe

This will be the company's first move to outsource work to India, but British Gas - owned by Centrica - was keen to stress that its customer service division would not be affected.

The British Gas spokesman said: "We have no plans at all to offshore any of our call centre work, we remain entirely committed to existing UK call centres."

In recent years, thousands of UK jobs, particularly call centre posts, have been shifted to low-cost, offshore centres such as India.

But in British Gas' case inquiries from its 18 million customers will continue to be handled from the UK.

In its statement, the energy company said a number of data processing and administrative jobs are likely to become redundant as it switches to a more streamlined customer billing system at a cost of £430m ($750m).

"We have an agreement with British Gas that they must consult the unions on their plans before any final decisions are made," said Unison.

The union added that it would fight management all the way to stop the job cuts.

British Gas currently employs about 26,000 workers across the UK.

pin

Your point?

Cardew

pin wrote:

Your point?

Or perhaps yours?

mancitychick

Well I for one, try not to use companies with call centres in India. I have found that while most speak English they don't understand it! I find them very frustrating.l

Hunnymonster

The whole point of the BG thing is that they're retaining their call centres here (for now) and are shoving back office functions to India. Of course that doesn't stop BG being (IMO) a shower of chancers.

pricefighter

Is not this part of a softening up process that Centrica(BG) are using,getting us use to the idea that some of the work is done abroad to save costs.Then switch some of the traffic if not all of it abroad.
After all one of there subsidiaries Onetel already has an Indian Call Centre.

oldagetraveller

pricefighter wrote:

After all one of there subsidiaries Onetel already has an Indian Call Centre.

And from experience, what a pile of poo that call centre is.

Rover

As we all know BG has haemoraged customers by the million, since they led the market with power price increases - taking customer loyality for granted and getting their fingers badly burnt in the process.

The announced cuts, I presume, are to enable them to stay price competitive but still keep the board and major shareholders with their divies and perks.

Don't like BG much and I particularly don't like their advertising initiatives like the reprehensible - 'Say goodbye to BG and say goodbye to our engineers'. Wouldn't frighten me, but I bet that makes a few old dears think twice about getting a cheaper supplier.

Grimbo_2

Rover wrote:

their advertising initiatives like the reprehensible - 'Say goodbye to BG and say goodbye to our engineers'. Wouldn't frighten me, but I bet that makes a few old dears think twice about getting a cheaper supplier.

Excuse me ? BG have never had this policy. Any Home Servicing agreement can be easily maintained without having any energy supply with BG.

As for offshoring jobs I dont agree with it at all and I work at the place, so who is the most hard hit by this news here ? The relocation of back office tasks to india is exactly as stated to cut costs and try and keep prices down, nothing else. Yes BG have lost alot of customers.... alot to powergen namely. Lets see how they all feel after todays price increase.

Cardew

Rover wrote:

Don't like BG much and I particularly don't like their advertising initiatives like the reprehensible - 'Say goodbye to BG and say goodbye to our engineers'. Wouldn't frighten me, but I bet that makes a few old dears think twice about getting a cheaper supplier.

Are you sure about that?

I have read several posts where non-BG gas/electricity customers still have annual BG 3* servicing plans.

Seen several BG adverts lately(mainly about customers returning) but none made the 'threat' you imply.

Not doubting that such adverts exist just I haven't seen them and it doesn't
seem to tie in with the above.

rrwfotr

not sure about this one, in resent years BG has come under increased competition therefore like all companies they need to find a way a cost cutting as their competitors are doing the same by usining indian call centres.

The sad fact is that if we offshore all our jobs then people who would be working and paying into the system will and pay start taking out of the system.