New US bill targets call centre jobs overseas

Two US senators have moved a new bill in the House of Representatives seeking to make companies that move call center jobs overseas ineligible for grants or guaranteed loans from the federal government.

The bipartisan bill, to be enacted as the `US Call Centre Worker and Consumer Protection Act', was moved by Republican senators Tim Bishop and David McKinley.

The bill, if passed by both houses of the US legislature, will stem the tide of jobs being relocated to countries such as India.

Besides curbing the flow of jobs overseas, the bill seeks to impose strict guidelines on call centre operations.

''Outsourcing is one of the scourges of our economy and why we are struggling so to knock down the unemployment rate,'' said Rep Bishop.

The bill provides for disclosure of call centre locations by customer service representatives working overseas for US corporations. Besides, they should also offer callers the option to transfer the call centres back in the US, reports citing the bill said.
 
Under the proposed legislation, the state labour secretary should also maintain a list of employers that locate call centres overseas. Companies should also provide four months' advance notification before they move any call centre overseas.