OUTSOURCED call-centre and back-office workers for Lloyds, M&G, Aviva and Phoenix will resume and escalate strike action against Diligenta on Monday.

Unite members employed by the finance sector outsourcer will strike over pay until Friday, following five days of industrial action in November and December.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Diligenta has failed to grasp the strength of anger of its workforce. 

“Imposing real-terms pay cuts on its workers while making millions of pounds of profits and continuing to reward shareholders is completely unacceptable.”

The action will cause “considerable disruption” to call-centre, back-office and complaints operations for several of Diligenta’s clients, Unite said.

Diligenta is a British-based subsidiary of the Indian-owned transnational Tata Group conglomerate.

Some 1,000 members working at sites in Liverpool, Glasgow, Reading, Edinburgh and Stirling will take part in this week’s strike, with further action to be announced shortly.

Members working at its Peterborough head office will also be balloted for strikes after bosses “failed to meaningfully negotiate” with Unite, a union spokeswoman said.

Unite had previously warned that further strike action would be taken if Diligenta did not offer an acceptable pay rise for 2025. The union said that the £14 million dividend payment to parent company Tata Consultancy Services — itself a billion-dollar company — alone could have funded a 5 per cent pay rise for all staff.

Unite held an indicative strike ballot in June after Diligenta pulled away from pay talks in March following two months of delay.

This move resulted in bosses asking for talks before announcing a pay offer of 3 per cent for workers paid up to £40,000 and 2 per cent for those on up to £70,000.

However, the offer was imposed after members overwhelmingly rejected it, saying they were not given any chance to negotiate.

Unite regional officer Helen Camp said: “This industrial action will continue until we see a pay offer that reflects the economic reality workers face.

“Diligenta’s workforce deserve a fair pay deal, and Unite members have had enough of being expected to live with a pay cut each year. Diligenta could end this dispute tomorrow by making a fair offer to its workers.”

Diligenta was contacted for comment.