Melbourne, March 13 (PTI): ANZ Bank of Australia is reportedly offshoring its back office operations in Melbourne to India by the end of the year.

According to an ANZ spokesperson most of the jobs about to be scrapped are in Melbourne.

“In 2008, the size of the operation in Bangalore grew by around 500 people and it is reasonable to expect there will be some further growth in 2009,” the spokesperson said.

However, the call centres will remain in Australia and New Zealand, the bank said.

The decision has led to criticism from Australia’s Finance Sector Union, with national secretary Leon Carter calling on the federal government to set conditions on the support it provides to Australians in the form of government guarantees.

Last year, the bank was advised by consultants to cut 620 jobs between January and September 2009, with 870 jobs identified for “offshore migration”. At that time, the bank refused to quantify any local cuts.

The move will allow ANZ to focus more on its Asian business, and the latest round of cuts in Australia will boost the 3,000-strong workforce it already has in Bangalore.

Centralising the processing centre in India is part of ANZ’s plan to grow into a super-regional bank in Asia, as outlined by chief executive Mike Smith.

Late last year, the bank moved 500 back office jobs to India as part of the transition.