London: After failing to stop the exodus of Call Centre jobs to India, UK's leading banking union, Unifi, is planning a membership drive among staff employed in India by Britain's High Street banks.

Unifi, which represents 158,000 employees in the UK, is working with Union Network International, a global trade union congress, to offer representation to more than 50,000 employees in the Call Centres and data-processing operations, its spokesman said today (Jan 11, 2004).

"We are very keen that when UK jobs go overseas, the people who get them can join a trade union. We can help to improve their terms and conditions through negotiation," Unifi National Secretary Rob O'Neill said.

Union Network International has already held a series of meetings in Bangalore and Hyderabad to publicise the services provided by unions, and officials said the response was positive.

Staff at Indian Call Centres typically receive about 10 per cent of the salary paid to their UK counterparts, O'Neill said. But the salaries are viewed as high relative to what other local professionals earn and jobs are in great demand.

"It is proven that where there is union representation, the price of labour goes up," a union official said.

O'Neill said, "These Centres want the best staff so they should be prepared to pay the best salaries."