12 December, 2010
The privatised water firm United Utilities’ decision to drop its offshore contract with Accenture and bring its customer service back to the UK was met with applause by Unison, Great Britain’s public sector union.
“This is good news for United Utilities customers and a much needed jobs boost,” said Unison General Secretary Dave Prentis. “The company is right in its belief that in-house operations are more efficient than offshoring.”
Unison General Secretary Dave Prentis
United Utilities told investors on 1 December that it would bring Information Technical services back to the north-east of the country to gain “greater control” of its technology. Accenture has a contract with the private utility until November 2011 for billing business processes and other services, but United Utilities said it will bring office, income, and collections activities to full-time public workers of the company over the next 12 months.
“Right from the start, UNISON campaigned against outsourcing and offshoring in the utilities sector, because permanent staff provides a better service,” said Prentis, who predicted it would create hundreds of jobs in the northeast. “We hope this decision will act as a good example to other employers, particularly in the public sector, where there in enormous pressure to outsource services.”