FORMER workers at an East Lancashire call centre which closed with the loss of 250 jobs are taking its owners to an industrial tribunal, due to start today.

A class action has been launched for compensation by 120 of the former staff against international outsourcing giant Sitel.

It employed the workforce to handle online holiday bookings at the Globe Centre in Accrington.

In September 2011 after one of its clients, travel firm Expedia, moved its call-handling to Bangalore in India, it announced its entire workforce would be made redundant by November that year.

Hyndburn Council leader Miles Parkinson described the closure as ‘devastating’ for the borough. Carl Moran, partner at JMW Solicitors, is handling the action which was expected to start in Manchester.

He said: “120 former staff are taking a class action against Sitel for unfair dismissal and failure to properly consult over redundancies.

“They are alleging the process was substantially and fundamentally flawed.”

If they succeed at the hearing, expected to last all week, compensation against the firm could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Sitel took over the former Thomas Cook offices in 2009 at the Globe Centre for travel advisers to help customers book holidays.

The centre is run by Globe Enterprises, a joint venture between chairman Stuart Nevison, Hyndburn Council and Barnfield Construction.

It is still the base for several companies employing hundreds of workers including Contour Homes, Hyndburn Homes, North West Training and Development Team, Regenerate Pennine Lancashire and Accrington and Rossendale College.
Coun Parkinson said: “I am not surprised to hear some of staff are taking action over their dismissal.”

Mr Nevison said: “The decision by Sitel to take advantage of a break clause in their contract was a surprise to us and the workforce.
“It was a big blow but the Globe Centre is still thriving and home to hundreds of jobs.”
Canadian-owned Sitel’s headquarters is in Nashville, Tennessee, and it operates 110 contact centres in 23 countries, including five in the
UK.
There was no one from Sitel available for comment yesterday.