Suncorp Group chief executive Patrick Snowball is conducting a roadshow to discuss staff cuts as a result of outsourcing jobs to India, according to the Finance Sector Union (FSU).
“Patrick Snowball is visiting the affected employees this week,” FSU spokeswoman Leeanne Shingles said, adding upcoming job losses were the tip of the iceberg.
The financial services group has confirmed it will eliminate about 50 jobs as a result of its agreement with Mumbai-based World Network Services (WNS), emphasising the roles are back-office functions that do not involve customer “interface”.
However, Shingles said the move was the beginning of a campaign to move up to 2000 jobs offshore, saying the bulk of the jobs would be insurance claims processing roles.
“The offshoring involves claims processing workers at AAMI in Melbourne, at Suncorp in Brisbane and at Suncorp in New South Wales,” she told InvestorDaily.
About two months ago, the FSU expressed concern over visits by India-based companies WNS and Genpact to Suncorp, regarding their visit to the bancassurance group, Queensland’s biggest employer, as a precursor to outsourcing entire departments and job losses in the thousands.
Suncorp spokesman Jamin Smith confirmed the company had struck an agreement with WNS.
Smith said Snowball was meeting with employees this week, but denied the gatherings were purely about moving jobs offshore.
“We regularly do employee meetings on a range of issues. The executives talk and employees ask questions. These are regular town hall meetings,” he said.
When asked whether Snowball would be discussing job cuts, he said: “In financial services, there are always going to be increases and decreases in demand. We will shape our workforce according to those changes.”
He said Suncorp aimed to improve its technology, eliminate duplication and explore options with “external partners in Australia and overseas”.
As head of insurance giant Aviva’s United Kingdom business, Snowball was moving 4000 jobs offshore when he resigned in 2007 after 18 years with the company.
“This is very similar to the offshoring campaign he conducted at Aviva,” Shingles said of Snowball.
She said the FSU would continue to push for opportunities to discuss the moves with Suncorp employees and customers in a bid to ratchet up the pressure on the group to revise its decision.
