CAT Boyd and Councillor Kenny MacLaren are to be congratulated on their contributions, which spell out to British workers and to the public in general the undesirability of the outsourcing of work by major corporate bodies (Carillion never should have been considered for contracts, The National, January 16) (Letters, January 16).
I wonder how many of your readers are aware that some banking groups – Lloyds for one, which incorporates TSB, HBOS, Halifax and Bank of Scotland – outsource work to countries such as the Philippines. This no doubt being for the single outcome that has become the raison d’etre of banks and major corporations in recent times: profit.
Employees in Manila will undoubtedly earn a pittance compared to their British counterpart bank employees and are no doubt subject to conditions of service which would be anathema to our own workers. Maybe if I tell you that in 2016 the population of the Philippines was 103.3 million, and that two million of these were based in Manila, you’ll understand the level of competition which must exist for an outsourced bank job with a top UK banking group. When one of the chosen few is ordered to jump, “How high?” must surely be the quick and wise response.
Now I wouldn’t normally spend time checking out Filipino statistics, except for the fact that I have had occasion to become involved with bank staff in Manila, who were responsible for deciding whether or not my request for a chargeback (refund) to my debit card should be processed. They decided not. Bad enough, but to be turned down twice in pidgin English which made no sense was little short of bamboozling. Proceeding to call the manager responsible in Manila, after an hour and a half, he admitted he didn’t understand the merchant’s terms and conditions which were intrinsic to my case. Neither, it seems, did he comprehend the Visa Europe chargeback rules which he was supposed to be administering. This is only one small example of a system which has now permeated the very fabric of society and which has major implications for us all – the outsourcing of work.
Don’t get me wrong, undoubtedly the Filipino people are good folks and they can’t be blamed for trying to jump through burning hoops to keep their international banker bosses happy, but when our own hard-earned money is on the line, is it right that those with a poor grasp of the English language and British culture should be making decisions which affect the bank books of the population here? What next can those employees be coerced to do to retain their livelihoods, one asks, when things go belly-up with the banks next time? As Cat Boyd points out: “The bonanza of corporate profit is making it difficult for the public to take democracy seriously”.
Ann Williamson
Address supplied
KEVIN McKenna’s article (Carillion, BHS and tax scandals prove there’s evil at the heart of capitalism, The National, January 17) covers all the old arguments of left versus right but offers no new answers.
The disastrous collapse of Carillion provides the opportunity for the construction industry in its widest sense to review the whole process of how contracts are let and how they are fulfilled to the benefit of the client, whether they be private or public, and the contractor. It will be interesting to find out from the forensic examination of the company’s corpse how much Carillion was paid, how much it passed on to sub-contractors and also what happened to the pension fund.
I would suggest that as a matter of urgency the Scottish Government and the opposition parties can set aside party political differences and agree to set up a taskforce to map out new types of contracts and the system(s) of procurement. The taskforce should comprise talented members of the construction professions and representatives of the trade unions whose members construct the buildings. There are those within our country who have a wide experience in the industry both in the UK and overseas, and hopefully they will be prepared to use their talents and experience to map out a brighter future for our construction industry on which we all depend.
It is Scotland’s problem, so let us work together to resolve it!
Thomas L Inglis
Fintry
WHAT surprises me most about this latest instalment of the Brexit omnishambles is that anyone is expressing genuine surprise over the stance taken by the 13 Scottish Tory MPs (EU Withdrawal Bill debate: Scots Tory MPs told to vote for their constituencies, not their party, The National, January 16). Expecting them to do anything other than support the Westminster government, it seems to me, is to dangerously misunderstand their attitude to devolution.
Holyrood has emerged as a credible and effective parliament with the energy and the determination to assert itself and seek to defend Scottish interests, a position which is increasingly incompatible with the “Empire 2.0” mentality currently at large in the corridors of Westminster.
The Westminster government has consistently demonstrated its disrespect for the Scottish administration, an attitude shared by a number of Tory party MSPs, for whom the ultimate aim of Brexit will be to reduce Holyrood to an impotent talking-shop in the farthest reaches of North Britain. If we misunderstand this, if we expect anything other than obedience to the party line in the coming months as the Brexit debacle unfolds, I fear we will reap the rewards of our naivety. In full.
Margaret Kirk
Address supplied
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here