Indian workers turn down union

An international alliance of unions that wants to organize the Indiaian offshore call centre operators and telemarketers is finding a very different reality in India: many think of themselves as members of a relatively well-paid, respected professional elite in no need of a union's protection. "I know these young people have a negative image about unions," says Narayan Ram Hegde of Union Network International, a global alliance of 900 unions. Hegde is leading the UNI drive to unionize workers in India's back-office outsourcing industry - a sector that employs about 350,000 people and is expected to add 80,000 jobs this year.

UNI has been quietly setting up the union for the past year - its formal launch date is Sept. 18. But it has so far only managed to attract about 500 recruits, underscoring workers' hostility to unions and the enormity of the task faced by organizers. "A union would make sense if there was no job security," said K. V. Sudhakar, who does technical support work in IBM's offshore outsourcing centre in the western city of Pune. "Here jobs are more, people are less - companies are trying all means possible to keep employees happy so that they won't leave."

Among those who decided to join the union is Raghavan Iyengar, a call centre supervisor in Bangalore. He said companies give incentives for those who work extra time, and young workers often ignored health problems, such as insomnia and back pain, to earn those extra bucks. "The industry's motto is 'shut your mouth and take your money."' he said. "We want to change that." But the money can be a powerful lure in India, where per capita income hovers around US$500 a year and most people make much less toiling in dusty fields or on steaming city streets. Call centre rookies, in contrast, make about $2,400 a year - roughly twice the pay of first-year teachers, accountants or lawyers - and work in air-conditioned offices, many of which have health clubs and well-stocked cafeterias. With experience, the salaries multiply.

As for complaints about working conditions, Ruchinder Singh, who works in the southern city of Hyderabad for GE Capital International said he can take them straight to his company's chief executive. "When my CEO will listen to what I have to say, then why do I need union?" asked Singh, who helps customers around the world use specialized software programs.