Credit card provider Barclaycard is to close its Manchester call centre, putting at risk the jobs of its 630 employees.
Rather than moving to new premises in Manchester, as had previously been planned, Barclaycard's call centre will now be outsourced to facilities in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Delhi.
A statement released by Barclaycard today said the "organisational restructure" would "affect 630 colleagues".
Staff at the Peterloo House call centre will be forced to stop working in July but will continue to be paid for three months after the closure to aid their efforts to find alternative employment.
"Decisions like these are never easy and we will be doing everything we can to support those affected," Barclaycard chief executive Antony Jenkins said.
"Barclaycard's business is becoming more global and to stay successful we must change how we operate to reflect this. Unfortunately, closing our Peterloo House site in Manchester centre is part of that process."
The Amicus union condemned the closures, arguing that the company's strong presence in the north-west of England should have meant Barclaycard could accommodate those losing their jobs.
"We will be pushing the bank hard to achieve this outcome," Amicus spokesperson Steve Pantak said.
"At a time of increasing pressure on all staff in Barclaycard we believe it to be totally inappropriate for this large and highly profitable employer to be announcing closures and job losses," he added.
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