According to the trade union Unite, about one thousand Diligenta staff members will go on strike across different sites, including the company’s Reading office.
Diligenta, a subsidiary of TATA Consultancy Services, specialises in “business process services” in the ‘Life and Pensions Industry’.
Unite said the striking workers are “involved in outsourced work undertaking call centre, back office and complaints roles” for clients including Lloyds, M&G, Aviva, and Phoenix.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “Diligenta is a profitable business making millions of pounds of profits, owned by a billion-dollar company, whilst continuing to reward shareholders.
“Yet disgracefully it is denying workers a fair pay deal. Our members at Diligenta have Unite’s total support in their fight for decent pay.”
An “initial” 24-hour strike is planned for November 18, and the union is predicting it will “cause considerable disruption” to Diligenta’s clients.
The union noted Diligenta had made a pre-tax profit of £27.1 million in 2023, rising to £28.9 million the following year.
Unite said the company paid out a shareholder dividend of £14 million to TATA Consultancy Services, and claimed the dividend could instead have been used to fund a 5 per cent pay increase for all staff.
Unite regional officer Helen Camp said: “Strike action will cause considerable disruption to Diligenta’s many clients, but the company has only got itself to blame it has had every opportunity to make our members a fair pay offer but has refused to even take part in negotiations.
“Even at this late-stage strikes could be averted by Dilgenta returning to negotiations and making a decent offer to its worker.”
Diligenta reportedly pulled out of pay negotiations in March, but announced a pay offer later in the summer of three per cent for those earning up to £40,000, two percent for those earning up to £70,000, and nothing for those earning above that.
Unite suggested the company has “ignored the collective bargaining process”.
