The GOP's Answer to Domestic Unemployment

[melon]

US Republican Party outsources fund raising to India

By Adamson Rust: Wednesday 27 August 2003, 08:49

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY is using call centres in Gurgaon and Noida in India to raise funds for itself and for its chieftain, George W. Bush.

Young people at the call centres are helping robots to phone American citizens to enlist their support and money for the political party, with plans to extend the scheme if they whip up enough donations.

There's a high degree of automation involved in the process, according to Indian newspaper the Business Standard, which says that HCL Eserve is handling the business for the party.

India is the biggest democracy in the world, and has stayed that way since it threw off the yoke of the British Raj in 1947, courtesy of the Labour Party.

The magazine claims that "human intervention" is limited because of an integrated voice recording technology which picks up on clues from people that pick up the phone.

We do hope and trust here at the INQUIRER that the irony of underpaid people in Harayana helping robots to call possibly out of work Americans because of a widespread policy of corporate outsourcing is not lost on our readers. ?

Melon

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

On a slightly related point, BT (British Telecom) have just opened a call centre in India to deal with calls to their Directory Enquiries service. Apparently the BBC carried out an experiment where they asked the people answering the phone what Woolworths is, or where in the country Leicester is and they couldn't answer. I'm not actually sure that anyone phones directory enquiries to discover the location of Leicester though...perhaps a map would be a better investment.

 

[melon]

It's amusing that you replied, but it still says "0" replies...or, at least, before I wrote this one.

Melon

 

[pax]

You know, I'm all for providing decent incomes under liveable conditions for citizens of Third World countries, but with the GOP's largely anti-foreign rhetoric, I find this tack a little puzzling. You'd think they'd want to walk the walk by hiring out-of-work Americans for these jobs.

Then again, it would be easy to say that these jobs ought to be--or, worse, once were--American jobs. But I can't help but think that without these jobs, these people--largely bright, ambitious, young Indian workers--might be homeless, starving, or working in sweatshops. I'm torn on this issue and I know these thoughts will be unpopular here in FYM. But let's keep in mind, too, that these jobs are only going to outsourced to foreign countries--India and Ireland are two of the biggest--as recent anti-telemarketing laws start to affect the industry here in the States. And for that we have no one but ourselves to blame.

 

[nbcrusader]

And for that we have no one but ourselves to blame.

I'm not sure we understand this concept in the US.

 

[Klaus]

paxetaurora:

It just shows that they care more about their own profit than about their country.

 

[BVS]

Maybe they are afraid they couldn't find working class employess that would actually help out this administration. Robots may be more enthusiastic about trying to enlist support than most of the individuals that would be looking at this job.

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

It's amusing that you replied, but it still says "0" replies...or, at least, before I wrote this one.

Melon

I guess even the forum thinks my posts count for nothing.

 

[melon]

But let's keep in mind, too, that these jobs are only going to outsourced to foreign countries--India and Ireland are two of the biggest--as recent anti-telemarketing laws start to affect the industry here in the States.

Incorrect. Political solicitations are not restricted in the slightest, and there is, for instance, a local company not far from where I live that exists primarily for state Democratic Party solicitations. At least they didn't outsource their company to India, I guess.

Melon

 

[Angela Harlem]

Its a little bit off topic, but I'm surprised (well, not really) at how much even over here is outsourced to countries like India. I worked at a medical insurance claim company once, it was for Doctors to independantly assess worker's compensation claims etc. One day, there was very little to do and I suggested to my boss that I go help out the typing department with their backlog of yet unfinished reports. She laughed and said "I don't think you could get to Sri Lanka in time to be of any help". When I asked her why on earth Sri Lanka of all places (she was Sri Lankan herself, coincidently) she said for $25 a day they could do the reports, whereas we were $25 an hour. It was a privately owned company though.
Its like Levi Jeans etc, utilising prison inmates to do things like giving those $150 jeans that 'aged' look. Call centres I've heard in America often use inmates, not some poor underpaid citizen in a call centre.
When its a private company we can understand how profit is a key issue, and they can/will do whatever it takes. Whether we agree with it or not is another thing. Yet when the government does it, we have to wonder whether 'profit' is as much of an issue as it seems to be. So much for attempting to reduce unemployment where ever possible.
Interesting.

 

[pax]

Yes, Melon, I forgot about that. Political solicitation jobs will be for the most part safe--but other telemarketing and teleservice jobs are in jeopardy more and more due to foreign outsourcing. That much at least is true.