NCR accused over Indian employees

NCR has transferred production to Hungary, where wages are cheaper

An MP has accused the multinational cash machine manufacturer NCR of paying Indian workers at its Dundee plant below the national minimum wage.

Dundee West MP Jim McGovern said the company transferred 10 staff from India to Scotland before announcing plans to cut 51 jobs at the plant.

Mr McGovern said the foreign workers were being paid �2.80 per hour, the equivalent of their salary back home.

NCR said it had complied with the requirements of the minimum wage.

The accusation came hours after civic leaders in Dundee held talks with NCR management over the planned cuts at its Wester Gourdie site.

Temporary measure

The company said the job losses were needed as part of moves to streamline its operations and improve cost effectiveness.

Mr McGovern said he had met with the UK Enterprise Minister Pat McFadden to discuss the legality of the move by NCR.

He said: "It is disgraceful for NCR to expect the Indian employees they have brought over, to live in Dundee on �2.80 per hour.

"I am also having a meeting with Liam Byrne MP, minister of state for immigration this week to discuss the possible immigration issues involved."

NCR said moving the workers to Dundee was only a temporary measure.

A 30-day consultation period on the 51 job losses announced for the Dundee plant has begun.

The cuts come 18 months after NCR laid off more than 600 workers, leaving just 170 NCR manufacturing posts in Dundee.

A statement from NCR responding to the claims said the employees from India were in Dundee for training, not to replace any employees in Scotland and "are unconnected with the proposed redundancies at Dundee".

It added: "NCR manufactures at a number of sites globally. As part of our normal operations it is necessary to bring a few employees from those global sites to work temporarily at NCR's new product introduction manufacturing facility in Dundee on the products they will be transitioning to their location and to other global sites."

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