OUTSOURCING giants Capita and FDM are facing legal action from former employees who claim that they were kept in “tied servitude” by allegedly unlawful graduate training schemes.

The companies both run schemes requiring recruits to undergo up to four months of unpaid training before being given employment with other companies, for which they must work for two years or pay as much as £20,000 in training fees.

Capita is responsible for massive government contracts, including electronic tagging of prisoners, running London’s congestion charge scheme and collecting BBC licence fees, while FDM provides consultants to the Home Office.