PRESS RELEASE
April 23rd, 2009

Must do more to keep call centre jobs

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has called on the First Minister to intervene and stop the job losses at TSC.

Mr McNeil had warned the Scottish Government back in February that job losses were imminent after T-Mobile announced plans to move work to the Philippines.

But Enterprise Minister Jim Mather didn’t get involved until additional job losses were revealed at the Falkirk office.

Mr McNeil raised the issue at First Minister’s Questions this week and called on Alex Salmond to take action to safeguard call centre jobs.

He said: “The First Minister needs to get on top of his work-shy minister – not just for the sake of the TSC workers losing their jobs to the Philippines but for the call-centre industry all over Scotland.
 
“Jim Mather was warned of this job threat in Greenock back in February yet he sat on his hands until the company announced more job losses in Falkirk before he got involved.

“His complacency is astonishing and a slap in the face to those workers in Greenock sweating over their jobs.
 
“The First Minister today spoke of how his direct and rapid intervention saved call centre jobs in Cumbernauld not so long ago – we have seen nothing of the sort in Greenock and the Scottish Government need to get off their backsides now ”
 
ENDS