It will be "wholly wrong" to adopt a protectionist attitude regarding outsourcing by British companies to India, a 10-member all women Labour MPs delegation has said after a visit to India.
"The whole group felt that it will be wholly wrong to be protectionist on the issue of outsourcing which not only helps India but also the British companies," Dari Taylor, leader of the delegation, told newsmen in London on Wednesday evening on her return from the nine-day visit.
Outsourcing and India: Complete Coverage
Taylor, who is the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Home Office Minister, said the delegation, which visited, among other places, a call centre in Noida "was very much impressed with the high standard of working conditions and enthusiasm of the young people at the call centre."
The call centre is operated by Dell and Norwich Union.
She said outsourcing was a fall out of globalisation and developing countries could not be denied of their share of industrial growth. She noted that the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) figures showed that the call centres in the UK were still a growing sector.
The delegation met Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, several Indian MPs, NGO leaders, elected officers from Delhi University's student unions and women CEOs and business leaders.
During their interaction with the employees at the Noida call centre, the MPs found that most of them were graduates and they earned 30 per cent more than their compatriots in other sectors. Besides, the call centre industry registered a 100 per cent growth last year.
Besides Taylor, Oona King, Jackie Lawrence, Julie Morgan and Diana Organ who were members of the delegation were present at the press briefing.
Other members of the delegation were Laura Moffatt, Phyllis Starkey, Sandra Osborne, Christine Russell and Judy Mallaber.
