Santander Workers Oppose Outsourcing and ‘Provocative’ Union Derecogition 

COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
15/04/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTANDER WORKERS OPPOSE OUTSOURCING AND ‘PROVOCATIVE’ UNION DERECOGNITION

Workers at Santander UK are opposing proposals to outsource vital fraud management work to a private company – and the potential derecognition of the union at the company.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) – the union for Santander UK employees – firmly opposes the company’s decision to move fraud management work to Concentrix UK.

Santander have sought to justify work with Concentrix UK – and the subsequent TUPE transfer of loyal staff – from the latter’s claimed expertise in automation, claiming this will improve efficiency and customer service.

But such a decision will undermine the expertise of the bank’s current staff, and will reduce the overall quality of fraud processes to such an extent that service quality may be compromised.

Additionally, the CWU is alarmed that Concentrix appears unwilling to accept union representation, despite the union having been long recognised at Santander.

A CWU spokesperson said: “The CWU are gravely concerned about the negative impact this proposed change will make.

“We have consistently emphasised to Santander that this move appears to threaten the bank’s services to prioritise cuts.

“It is only right for keeping these essential services in Santander UK to ensure that the wellbeing and security of customers and workers are the highest priority.

“We strongly advocate for keeping functions within Santander UK to ensure accountability, protection of employees, and upholding the highest service standards.”

Regarding the potential derecognition of the union, a CWU spokesperson added: “This provocative move will mean that the union rights afforded to workers will be effectively stolen from them without their control.

“It is a callous act that will severely undermine ordinary peoples’ ability to have the voices heard, not least in the redundancy consultations that will begin following days of the transfer.”

ENDS 

For further enquiries, please contact CWU Press Officer Marcus Barnett at mbarnett@cwu.org.