BRITAIN’s weak offshoring laws  make it an outlier across the world, trade unionists said today as they called for a “broad conversation” on regulatory reform.

Speaking at the Communication Workers Union’s biannual conference in Bournemouth, CWU deputy general secretary Karen Rose backed a motion calling for a national strategy, in co-ordination with other unions, against the practice, whereby bosses shift their business to countries with lower tax or labour costs.

Attacking Britain’s regulation as “an outlier,” she said: “Some other countries’ governments don’t accept offshoring unless it meets requirements surrounding redeployment, retraining and evidence that offshoring is the last resort.

“The force behind offshoring is simple: it’s about maximising profits with little regard for workers or the wider economy. It damages the economy, forces a decline in service quality and creates regional inequalities.”

Backing action, delegate John McAlinden told conference: “From Capita to BT, Royal Mail to Santander and the BBC, offshoring has become endemic. This is why we need a campaign in place that goes beyond individual disputes.

“We want the union to launch a national conversation about offshoring that puts workers, the jobs they do and the considerations of the community first.”