Financial services union Amicus has reacted furiously to news that HSBC is cutting more jobs in the UK and moving the work to offshore centres.
HSBC is reportedly planning to cut 72 jobs from its finance departments in London, Birmingham and Southampton, including over 30 managerial positions, and shifting the work overseas.
Amicus says it is surprised by HSBC's latest move, which comes just weeks after a worker at HSBC's Bangalore call centre was arrested on suspicion of selling the confidential bank account details of UK customers to fraudsters.
Data worker Nadeem Kashmiri, 24, was charged with hacking into computers and breaching confidentiality agreements and privacy laws. Around £233,000 was thought to have been stolen from the accounts of 16 UK customers after Kashmiri allegedly sold bank details to fraudsters while working at the centre in Bangalore.
Amicus says it is calling on HSBC to reconsider the latest decision and re-evaluate their strategy of sending sensitive customer data abroad.
In a statement Caroline Milton, Amicus official, comments: "We are deeply disappointed that yet again, HSBC has put profits first by offshoring over 70 jobs from its finance department... For a Bank which has just declared profits of GBP6.7 billion, the resultant 'cost savings' from its offshoring program amounts to little more than small change."
In 2006 HSBC will be offshoring some 1750 roles from the UK, says Amicus.