Expatica news

ING outsources 800 jobs to UK’s Astron

18 May 2006

AMSTERDAM — Banking and insurance group ING is outsourcing 800 jobs in Belgium and the Netherlands to a UK firm, it has been announced.

Dutch company ING has signed a memorandum of understanding with document outsourcing firm Astron in relation to the deal which is expected to be worth EUR 400 million.

The agreement covers the processing of banking and insurance documents in the Netherlands and Belgium. Although it will affect 700 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in the Netherlands and 100 in Belgium, ING said it expected all the staff will be employed by the UK firm.

A definite contract on the seven-year deal is to be signed later this year once talks with works councils and labour unions about work conditions have been finalised. It is part of a larger project whereby ING intends to farm out 2,200 FTE positions from restructuring of its Operations and IT organisation in the Benelux. ING envisages annual savings of EUR 230 million.

Last month ING announced 350 of its system development staff are being transferred to systems integration company LogicaCMG. The contract is estimated to be worth EUR 200 million.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2006]

Subject: Dutch news