This needed to be passed on to all of you…

RE: RBC Outsourcing IT jobs to India’s iGate

Dear Prime Minister,

Over four years ago, RBC shut down all three of its Technical Support (IT) call centres (in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal) and outsourced everything to India’s iGate. I was one of the 200+ Technical Support Analysts nationwide who lost my job to iGate. I really liked that job. It had decent pay and I got to work with a great bunch of guys. That I have the added challenge of a physical disability (cerebral palsy) in today’s recessed job market makes my loss of employment all the more disappointing.
And yes, a full month before the official hand-over to iGate, all of us had to train/assist on calls with our replacements in India. Several of my training calls were prime examples of technical incompetence, with a few iGate analysts not even knowing how to remote into a client computer, for example. It’s one thing to lose your job to someone who is more highly-skilled, but the flip-side here was baffling and demoralizing. Not only was there personalized “live” training with current RBC call agents over the phone with iGate, but the bank had already handed over several months worth of taped phone calls with full motion screen captures so that new agents based in India could very precisely see and learn our workflow / business as fast as possible. Should that have been allowed? Isn’t this cheating and stealing of the highest order? Stealing highly-skilled knowledge from someone else without consent is wrong, no? And, isn’t it also wrong that private & highly sensitive bank account information for tens of thousands of RBC clients was transferred to iGate without prior customer consent as well? How can customers be assured that the same level of protection & regulation will be followed in India … especially now that we have definitive proof to the contrary following the tragic Joe Fresh factory collapse in Bangladesh.

At the time of the actual hand-off and transition to iGate over four years ago, all of us were told not to complain, not to make waves and to just do our jobs. Every one of us (all of the IT agents based in Vancouver, anyway) respected our jobs, peers and direct superiors enough to listen. Having said that, though, there was still a real veiled threat of withheld severance salary and serious legal action if we didn’t. Again, not from our direct bosses … but from other higher-ranking power executives (including of course, CEO Gordon Nixon).

Now RBC’s Nixon continues to spin media trying to convince everyone that all his call centres remain in Canada and that no Canadian jobs are lost?!? Simply put, Mr. Nixon is trying to minimize his direct role in everything, and that’s just not right. While he may claim the bank was following strict standard “outsourcing procedure” throughout, I very much beg to differ. To me, it’s painstakingly obvious that RBC violated protocol here and should be dealt with severely. It should not matter how behemoth they are. Big banks still must play by the rules and follow all Canadian labour laws, end of story. Gordon Nixon should not be allowed to wash his hands of this – he should face a consequence far beyond just public outcry and a slight (probably temporary) dent to RBC’s corporate image.

Again, my job was lost over four years ago. Lost to someone hired at slave wages with *far* less technical credentials, guaranteed. I am 100% supportive of immigration, of people wanting to come to Canada to try to earn an honest living in our open job market. What I have serious issue with (100% opposed), is any jobs that are outsourced for no adequate reason at all.

Every one of those 200+ IT jobs that iGate stole from a *currently employed* Canadian worker four years ago remains in India. Where is the economic benefit to our country? How does it help Canadian people living here? I lose my job for no other reason than a big corporation (RBC) wants to save a few dollars for its shareholders. Meanwhile, I’m struggling along with the rest of Canada’s economy as employment income is being funneled into India to be re-invested there. The whole mess stinks to high heaven and must stop. I know that your government has already stepped in to make changes to the Foreign Workers program, and that’s great. But it is extremely important for a strong precedent to be set here. I just want to ensure that RBC (and CEO Gordon Nixon, especially) pays an adequate price for all indiscretions and wrong-doings.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. If you would like to know a bit more about me and my life as a disabled dad, please check out my website at www.daddybentlegs.com

Sincerely,

Neil Matheson

p.s. Happy Birthday