British trade union Unite said that British employees in Manchester and Skelmersdale are to take strike action after their employer Steria said their jobs would move to India.

The Steria employees provide IT support to Cooperative Financial Services, and 31 will be made redundant as part of an "offshoring" policy the French firm has initiated.

Other workers are afraid they might lose their jobs to India.

Unite negotiator Richard Lynch said: "The bote for industrial action is a clear reflection of our members' anger that their jobs are being offshored to India at a time of increasing uncertainty in the UK."  He said Unite believed exporting jobs is unacceptable in the current economic climate.

Steria has responded to the Unite statement. UK CEO John Torrie, said: "Steria and Co-operative Financial Services work in some of the most highly competitive industries. Competitive advantage is especially important in today’s economic environment and we aim to help our clients excel at utilising UK employees flexibly for maximum efficiency and minimal long term risk. It is precisely this approach that is strengthening UK jobs not putting them at risk. Our clients demand nothing less."

He said: ""Although Unite have been successful in achieving a mandate for industrial action at our Co-operative Services Account in Manchester, we would ask both Unite and our employees to take a considered approach both in terms of any planned action but also when it comes to the need for redundancies. The low turn out for the ballot combined with the fact that just 65 people out of a membership in excess of 175 voted to support action, highlights that the appetite for industrial action goes against the wishes of the vast majority of members. A huge amount of time and effort has gone into mitigating against redundancies. Our discussions with Unite and employee representatives are on-going."

He continued :"We utilise our combined workforce flexibly across geographies to deliver the best business model for our clients and ensure UK companies continue to remain competitive. It is this business approach that is responsible for creating new employment opportunities at Steria and client sites across the UK.”   X