Telecom to move call centre work to Philippines

Telecom's decision to shift some of its call centre work from New Zealand to the Philippines will not result in any job losses but is a worrying move, says the union which represents the staff.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said today the move to send work overseas showed Telecom's lack of commitment to New Zealand and to New Zealand workers.

"Telecom has done very well out of New Zealand but has chosen to show their gratitude by outsourcing work to the Philippines," he said.

Staff at Telecom's prepaid mobile call centre run by contractor Sitel in Palmerston North will be offered other work within the company but may have their hours of work changed.

"Thankfully Sitel has enough work available to keep our members employed, but if more contracts are transferred overseas then Kiwi jobs will be at risk," Mr Little said.

"Our members have already accepted a lower than usual pay settlement at Sitel this year -- their reward is loss of work and a long-term threat to their employment."

Mr Little said the union would be working with Sitel to ensure workers were not disadvantaged by the changes.

Telecom chief operating officer (consumer) Kevin Kenrick said the decision to move some call centre work to Manila was not a sign of more to come.

Mr Kenrick would not say how much money the move would save, but said overall Telecom would invest more in customer service by having the same number of staff in New Zealand and moving some calls to Manila.

The move would affect less than 10 per cent of calls, and no more of Telecom's 1500 call-centre staff who work in the consumer or residential area would be affected.

But Mr Little said it could be a sign of things to come. "The implication can only be that over time more of these functions will be shifted offshore."

Mr Kenrick said the move would involve all calls to the dial-up internet and pre-paid mobile helpdesks.

"We're looking to improve our broadband helpdesk service because we've had quite an increase in calls as broadband penetration grows."

About 60 staff at Sitel in Palmerston North will be moved to dealing with directory assistance and other calls.

About 70 TeleTech staff in Auckland fielding dial-up internet calls will move to the broadband helpdesk.

- NZPA