The Professional Contractors Group (PCG), the representative body for 1.4 million freelance workers, says a number of roles are being filled through Intra Company Transfers (ICTs), a system set up to allow employees of multinational companies to bring in specialist skills flexibly to fill shortages on temporary basis from overseas.
In a letter to RBS chief executive Stephen Hester, it points out that, under UK Borders Agency rules, no ICT worker can replace a settled UK worker, “yet this is exactly what appears to be happening”.
John Brazier, managing director of PCT, wrote to Mr Hester initially to raise concerns that bank jobs were going abroad after an RBS document appeared to show the UK Government supported the cost-cutting policy.
Mr Hester identified the transfer of jobs in Europe to more efficient locations such as India as one of the bank’s money-saving policies earlier this year. He is understood to have said at a meeting in February that the offshoing plan had the backing of majority shareholders. RBS is now 70%-owned by the government after a £20bn bailout from the taxpayer last year.
Mr Brazier said: “I understand that, prior to offshoring entire departments, RBS has been using ICT work permits to train inexperienced foreign staff – demonstrating that ICT workers are not being used to bring in specialist skills as the rules also state.
“For a major, and partially state-owned British institution, to behave in this way is unacceptable, especially when we can demonstrate that the skills you need are available amongst British contractors.”
While most permits require a “sponsor firm” to prove that a UK worker cannot be found to satisfy the post they are seeking to fill, no such requirement exists for ICT permits. PCG has called for “serious reform” of the immigration system that has given rise to these problems.
Mr Brazier said he found it “hard to understand” how offshoring posts was in the interests of either RBS or the British taxpayer. “Furthermore, PCG understands that many of the roles RBS has been ‘offshoring’ have initially been filled by cheaper ICTs in what is a blatant abuse of the immigration system,” he said.
A spokeswoman for RBS said: “We have not had the opportunity to review the letter however it will be given proper consideration and we will provide a thoughtful response. RBS is a diverse business with operations across several continents and we fully comply with all the required regulations.”
RBS has been accused of importing cheaper foreign labour
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