UP to 40 North-East technical support jobs are being transferred to India, The Northern Echo has learned.

Software company IBM, which has 40 staff at the ntl call centre in Stockton, told workers this week their jobs were going abroad to cut costs.

It is believed staff will be kept on until February and have the choice to leave the company or move to IBM's Manchester division.

Last night, an IBM spokesman said: "IBM is not going to comment on internal discussions with employees."

Staff said they have even been told they have to train the new Indian workers before February and will lose their jobs if they do not co-operate.

One worker told The Northern Echo: "IBM has said they are not making redundancies because they say they do not make people redundant, but the only option to keep your job is if you move to Manchester.

"They are even bringing the Indian workers here to be trained, and if we refuse to do that, we will lose our bonuses.

"We will not get any redundancy money either -just two months' wages because we are not directly employed by IBM. They use an agency, so we have very few rights."

In August, The Northern Echo learned that more than 100 call centre staff at Preston Farm, in Stockton, had been given redundancy notices by cable TV operator ntl.

IBM provides IT support for ntl's call centre staff, 300 of whom are based in Stockton.

Workers believe ntl wanted IBM to cut costs on technical support.