The union has called out state-backed lender Royal Bank of Scotland on its plans to move another 66 jobs from Britain to India, calling it a gross betrayal of the bank’s workforce.

In a statement yesterday, Unite said that the planned moves affecting staff in the bank’s fraud and chargeback functions were unjustified.

Rob MacGregor, Unite national officer, said: “The loss of these Royal Bank of Scotland jobs from the UK is the ultimate betrayal for the workforce. The bank is continuing the senseless cutting of important back office functions.”

“Unite is calling on RBS to reconsider this offshoring to India for the sake of their staff and their reputations.”

The roles affected are in the bank’s chargeback unit and are all currently based in Southend.

A spokesman for RBS said: “With RBS becoming a smaller, simpler bank, we’ve been restructuring our back office support so it’s a better fit for our business. Unfortunately, these changes will mean some job losses.”

RBS has previously shifted some jobs from Britain to India and shrunk its global workforce.

Sources familiar with the matter commented that the bank planned to cut around another 900 British jobs but has not set a timeframe.

The union said it would press RBS to ensure that all staff affected by the proposed offshoring were found suitable alternative employment.