Outsourcing backlash hits India

NY Times via Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | February 17, 2004 | SARITHA RAI

[Lazamataz]

Please add Siemens to your list.

[Cronos]

Siemens is a German company. So, they outsourced to us and now are sending it elsewhere. hmmm... shouldn't the Germans be the ones complaining?

[Lazamataz]

If only Putin hadn't gone totalitarian, I would have considered expatriating to Russia, moy droog.

[Lazamataz]

Siemens is a German company.

With an extremely large US presence. They even bought a company I worked for.

[Cronos]

Siemens is a German company. With an extremely large US presence. They even bought a company I worked for.

Yup, but a GErman company nonetheless. And a German company that outsourced to us.

[Dialup Llama]

>American companies desperate for instant cash savings see offshored tech support as employing PhDs with perfect English, and instinctive knowledge of the product. In reality, they're getting people who work for one-tenth the pay, but do one-tenth the productive work. But that doesn't show up on this year's balance sheet.

The Indian Ph. D. with perfect English and an instinctive knowledge of the product tend to start their own companies, often in the US. It's a CIO dream to think one can really buy three times of something at 1/10 the price.

[AppyPappy]

they have an english-only rule in the workplace, and the better one's employees english is perfect.

American learn English by speaking and hearing it. Indians learn it by reading and writing it. That is why they have trouble speaking English. It doesn't follow a logical format. They don't know where to put the accent on the syllables.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: offshore businesses

What about our "offshore" Congress?

More recently, the Senate approved a bill aimed at restricting outsourcing of contracts from two federal departments. The House has not acted on similar legislation.

Gee, I wonder why the House is lagging. Here's a hint. These Washington-based India government organizations have more influence in "our" House of Representatives than we do

http://www.usindiafriendship.net/ and http://www.usinpac.com/

or see what some Americans have learned about the 170 members of Congress owned by the India government (the House India Caucus). See

http://www.outsourcecongress.org

or go directly to the IndiaPAC page at

http://www.outsourcecongress.org/rep/indiapac/

Don't even thnk about what the chi-coms own in Washington.

Though the free traders scream about government interfering they don't seem to mind India and Chinese governments' mucking up free trade as long as it benefits their "free trade" pocketbooks.

Also, somewhere out there in Googleland is a dollar amount that U.S. taxpayers (OPIC, Ex-Im Bank, special programs, etc.) have risked/spent supporting our "capitalist" corporations' efforts to build infrastructures and factories for India and China. To free traders that kind of government interference is "capitalism" -- as long as it benefits them.

[Ladysmith]

I noticed. Someone is going to lose my business over it as soon as I find that same service locally. If I even suspect I'm dealing with someone from some outsourcing firm overseas, that company goes on my $h!tlist.

[swampfox98]

Incredible doublespeak. Whose jobs?

This is politiciansspeak. Both Dems and Republicans know that the base will vote for them, no matter what they say or do. Next comes the lying to the weak minded people who could vote either way. "Losing your job is good for you."And believe it or not, many will buy this line, and will go to the polls gladly.

[Ladysmith]

Sure is. "I'm not allowed to give out that information due to security reasons." Yeah, right. He was outted by a gal from the same company but working within the good ol' US of A.

[pointsal]

Ping...the tech support for Direcway's one-way system is someplace outside of the 48-contiguous states.....

I think there are a couple of title companies that are doing the same thing. Also checkout Citigroup and their off-shoring of appraisal reviews....

[Cronos]

English IS the national language of India...

[templar]

Looks like they want to keep Free Trade Street one way.

Judging from the balance of trade deficit, it pretty much is. At least, the street coming this way is a whole lot larger than the street going that way.

[AppyPappy]

Then why can't they speak it properly?

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: a German company that outsourced to us

I'll defer to the experts but it seems to me..

I interpret oursourcing to mean moving jobs to India, for example, then importing the work performed there whether the work is services or goods.

I think in general the foreign companies with factories/services here in the U.S. are marketing to the U.S. and are not exporting very much to their home countries. They have factories there.

That's a difference that the likes of the Limbaughs, Hegecocks, and Sullivans overlook (on purpose?) when scoffing at and ridiculing the notion that offshoring hurts American workers -- in between scoffing at and ridiculing the American workers themselves for not wanting to work, of course.

Those free traders argue that we've got many times more invested in Europe that Asia. True. But we are allowed to market to European citizens, that's why the factories are there; we don't have to export the goods and services back to the U.S. to sell. We have factories here for our domestic market.

[Jim Cane]

Siemens is a German company. So, they outsourced to us and now are sending it elsewhere. hmmm... shouldn't the Germans be the ones complaining?

Only if we penalize German imports the way India penalizes our exports. Last time I checked, you could purchase any number of German products, at prices commensurate to their quality. (caveat: with the merging of Chrysler/Benz the quality of the former has increased and the latter, decreased - buy a Beemer, you'll be glad you did.)

[phil_will1]

"Looks like they want to keep Free Trade Street one way."

Yes, it does .... unfortunately. This looks more and more like unilateral disarmament. The administration responds to these concerns by pointing out statistics that have nothing to do with the real economic pain that so many Americans are feeling. It just reinforces the Democrats' charge that Republicans only care about their corporate CEO buddies. Who cares if the Dow keeps rising if we continue to lose jobs? And counting job gains is misleading too, since they don't address the kinds of jobs that are being created. Are we really supposed to believe that a fast food cook is equivalent to a programmer? This administration is in denial, just as much as the first Bush's economic team was in 92.

It is painful to watch, for many reasons. The Democrats don't have any solutions, and protectionism won't work, but the frustration over this situation may nevertheless cost GW the swing voters and the election.

[Monty22]

"Next time someone with a thick Indian accent calls and says his name is Tim Johnson (or other American sounding name) from AT&T Call Center (or other corporate giant), ask him what city he is calling from. The reaction is interesting; they are obviously forbidden to tell the truth about their name or location."

I either get lies about Canada, or about South America. In 3 calls to Directv, I asked.. all different answers. One said Canada, one SA, and one said he couldn't say.

What a joke this is. I'm utterly appalled at the service with this stuff. I pay an outrageous amount for Directv, and they send me to these guys. I need to write the corporate office.