CALL centre workers and their large pink elephant mascot march into the North-East this week to demand a halt to companies moving operations overseas.

Members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) aim to draw attention to the number of companies switching their UK call centre services to countries with much cheaper labour.

BT, which has call centres in Middlesbrough and Newcastle, announced earlier this year it was to move 2,200 customer service jobs to India to cut costs. Tesco is taking similar steps, joining British companies such as British Airways, Prudential and Thomas Cook.

Unions fear banking, insurance and other sectors will follow, which could result in more than 200,000 jobs being lost in the UK.

The CWU has predicted more than 5,000 jobs in the North-East and North Yorkshire would be threatened by the move.

Malcolm Davies, chairman of the union's Tyne and Wear branch, said: "BT is a UK company that derives its profits from UK customers and is therefore obliged to support the UK economy by employing UK workers.

"Proposals now to move work to India amounts to a huge slap in the face to the whole workforce."

BT has denied that it plans a wholesale move abroad and is pressing ahead with plans to develop 31 call centres in the UK, staffed by about 17,000 workers. The centres would cost £105m.

The CWU Stop the UK Jobs Stampede campaign will be at Greys Monument, in Newcastle city centre, tomorrow.

It moves to Sunderland on Wednesday, before taking in the Angel of the North and Durham Market Square on Thursday.

On Friday, protestors will be at the Transporter Bridge and the Dundas shopping centre in Middlesbrough.