Would you train a foreigner to take your job?
January 23rd 2012 02:12
Imagine you've worked for a company for 15 years. Despite all the budget cuts and restructuring over the last decade, you've remained loyal. You maintain an above average performance and have even been granted promotions. Then you get the news that your department is under the axe. The centre is going to India. According to your managers, the company are best sourcing not outsourcing your job. Then the boss announces that the new best source workers are coming over so you can spend the last few weeks in your job engaging in 'knowledge transfer.'
Would you train the foreigner taking your job? And if the roles were reversed would the foreigner train you to do his or her job?
The described scenario has become reality for some Westpac workers in Sydney. The Daily Telegraph has broken the story of Westpac not only firing its IT testing department but flying their replacements over from India for training.
Russell Siachico, one of the Westpac employees interviewed by the Daily Telegraph, says that his Indian replacement is 'shadowing' him at work to learn everything he does. The Indians who work for the company Westpac is outsourcing its IT testing department to have come to Australia on temporary work visas.
It remains unclear with what tactics the Westpac IT testers will use. There are several options.
They can flat out refuse. After all, if you're out of a job anyway what does it matter? It would be interesting to find out what agreement the workers have regarding severance and if Westpac could legally stop paying entitlements if the workers refused to train the Indians.
They could train the replacements wrongly. "See this Ram, when the system goes down, press this button." Of course this would be of no benefit to Westpac customers and great frustration to the Indians but at least the head honchos would realise that transferring knowledge from permanent workers in their home country to outsourced workers in a country with lower currency value is not as simple as inserting a memory stick into a computer and uploading data onto the hard drive.
They could comply. As much distress and pain this may cause, unions no longer have the comradeship that they used to and many people used to doing the 'right' thing will feel powerless to do anything else but go along with the situation.
AustraliaThe Financial Services Union (FSU) does not provide numbers of what per centage of Westpac workers are unionised. Westpac made record profits last year, a $6.3 billion cash profit and plans to make further cuts to Australian staff numbers
If the workers and their unions do not take action, then it would be up to the Australian public to change their bank to one that employs mostly Australians and doesn't engage in dehumanising behaviour.
.
Would you train the foreigner taking your job? And if the roles were reversed would the foreigner train you to do his or her job?
The described scenario has become reality for some Westpac workers in Sydney. The Daily Telegraph has broken the story of Westpac not only firing its IT testing department but flying their replacements over from India for training.
Russell Siachico, one of the Westpac employees interviewed by the Daily Telegraph, says that his Indian replacement is 'shadowing' him at work to learn everything he does. The Indians who work for the company Westpac is outsourcing its IT testing department to have come to Australia on temporary work visas.
It remains unclear with what tactics the Westpac IT testers will use. There are several options.
They can flat out refuse. After all, if you're out of a job anyway what does it matter? It would be interesting to find out what agreement the workers have regarding severance and if Westpac could legally stop paying entitlements if the workers refused to train the Indians.
They could train the replacements wrongly. "See this Ram, when the system goes down, press this button." Of course this would be of no benefit to Westpac customers and great frustration to the Indians but at least the head honchos would realise that transferring knowledge from permanent workers in their home country to outsourced workers in a country with lower currency value is not as simple as inserting a memory stick into a computer and uploading data onto the hard drive.
They could comply. As much distress and pain this may cause, unions no longer have the comradeship that they used to and many people used to doing the 'right' thing will feel powerless to do anything else but go along with the situation.
AustraliaThe Financial Services Union (FSU) does not provide numbers of what per centage of Westpac workers are unionised. Westpac made record profits last year, a $6.3 billion cash profit and plans to make further cuts to Australian staff numbers
If the workers and their unions do not take action, then it would be up to the Australian public to change their bank to one that employs mostly Australians and doesn't engage in dehumanising behaviour.
.
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