Ernesto Noronha Ph D and Premilla D Cruz

Ernesto Noronha, Ph. D. , and Premilla D’Cruz, Ph. D. , Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Collectivisation endeavours in India’s ITES-BPO sector

India’s ITES-BPO sector • Global service delivery network • Offshoring and outsourcing of service-related processes that can be enabled by information technology • Call centres and back offices undertaking generic and specialized (KPO) work • International and domestic sub-sectors • Growth between 2004 -2005 to 2009 -2010 Exports – US$ 4. 6 to 12. 4 billion Domestic revenues – US$ 0. 6 to 2. 0 billion • Employment between 2004 -2005 to 2009 -2010 316, 000 to 738, 000 direct employees NASSCOM, 2010 • Young, educated workforce with a good gender representation • Full-time, permanent employment • Workforce covered by labour legislation D’Cruz & Noronha, 2010; Noronha & D’Cruz, 2009 a

Mass production meets employee well-being Service level agreements (SLAs) with clients Job design elements Techno-bureaucratic controls Work conditions Material gains Employee relations Crossvergence Socioideological controls (the notion of professionalism) D’Cruz & Noronha, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010; Noronha & D’Cruz, 2006 a, 2007, 2008, 2009 a, 2010

Employee reactions Ambivalence Deterrents to collective voice Issue of livelihood Cultural pre-occupation with social status and materialism (Sinha, 2008) Perceptions about labour laws Perceptions about unions Perceptions of employer support Employer claims and dictates Role of NASSCOM Government apathy D’Cruz & Noronha, 2009, 2010; Noronha & D’Cruz, 2006 b, 2009 a, 2009 b, 2010

Extra-sectoral attempts at collectivization International unions (UNI) in the 1990 s ITPF (UNI/UNIAPRO) in 2000 – Bangalore and Hyderabad, IT sector, association/forum, servicing CBPOP (UNI/UNIAPRO) in 2004 – Bangalore and Hyderabad, ITES-BPO sector, union, organizing CBPOP chapters at different stages UNITES Professionals formed in September 2005 (CBPOP ceased to exist) Divergent world-views of senior trade unionists and ITES-BPO employees 5 chapters (Bangalore – headquarters, Hyderabad, Chennai, New Delhi/NCR, Cochin) Link with UNI/UNIAPRO Noronha & D’Cruz, 2006 b, 2009 a, 2009 b, 2010

UNITES’s contributions Activity Envisaged Executed Registration For the entire organization For Bangalore only Committee composition and functioning Committee to be formed via free and fair elections and emphasis on diversity Regular meetings Changes made in an ad hoc manner without consultation of office bearers and members Meetings not held regularly Committee training Training in industrial relations, labour laws, human resource management, organizational behaviour and leadership No Sectoral focus ITES-BPO exclusively Forays into IT, garments, security, retail, etc. Organizing Membership recruitment, mobilizing and representation, employer and state partnerships, GFAs Campaign on safety of women employees, representation of laidoff employees, collective bargaining agreements with 4 SMEs in domestic ITES-BPO Servicing Support for personal well-being Education and training opportunities Professional network No Coalitions with NGOs and other social movements Yes No Current position of UNITES – internal conflict and claims about UNIAPRO funding and support (Noronha & D’Cruz, 2006 b, 2009 a, 2009 b, 2010, ongoing)

The way ahead for collective voice Challenges Possibilities and suggestions Intra-organizational functioning • Leadership, vision and strategy • Ad hocism Organizational design issues (Frege & Kelly, 2003; Noronha, 2003) • Leadership • Culture • Vision and strategy • Internal functioning Government’s apathy and employer’s political influence (Coe et al, 2008; Keune, 2009; Taylor & Bain, 2008) Backing of international law (Gumbrell-Mc. Cormick, 2008) Employee indifference Mobilization of membership through a bottom-up, democratic and self-sustaining approach (Gall, 2009; Noronha, 2003) • Employee identity • Employee aspirations • Perceptions of employers and workplaces • Perceptions of unions • Generational differences in values and world-views Employer’s bargaining position linked to its ‘mobility differential’ (Cumbers et al, 2008 a; Keune, 2009) Challenges to ‘relatively fixed’ capital in terms of labour’s non-substitutable attributes (Gumbrell. Mc. Cormick, 2008; Taylor & Bain, 2008) Questioning of employer’s contradictions and shortcomings (Taylor & Bain, 2008)

The way ahead for collective voice Challenges Possibilities and suggestions Activities to include a balanced mix of both organizing and servicing as well as partnership and militancy Affiliation to national and international trade unions (Noronha & Beale, 2011; Taylor & Bain, 2008) • Success of national unions in other sectors • Role of UNI (‘Offshoring Charter’ and GFAs) • Internationalist stand that focuses on labour’s common interests and employer’s doublespeak and failures • Close interaction with leaders and members of international unions beyond mere funding Links with national and international NGOs, social movements and justice networks (Cumbers et al, 2008 b; Gumbrell-Mc. Cormick, 2008; Martinez Lucio, 2010; Noronha, 2003) Expansion of agenda to include political goals and action (Gumbrell-Mc. Cormick, 2008)