The office employs hundreds of people in LiverpoolDan Haygarth Liverpool Daily Post Editor and Regeneration Reporter
19:26, 03 Oct 2025
Helen Camp, Unite’s acting regional co-ordinating officer(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A trade union said it will fight for jobs in Liverpool as it claimed workers at a major city centre employer have “serious concerns about their futures”. Trade union Unite has called on management at Diligenta to give staff based in Liverpool “long-term commitment about their jobs”, as it said its members fear the slashing of job numbers at the site.
The Old Hall Street operation – formerly Royal Insurance and now part of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – employs more than 500 people, according to Unite, and it has been part of Liverpool’s employment fabric for generations. It specialises in providing business process services for the life and pensions industry.
The ECHO reported yesterday that Unite said there are mounting concerns across the workforce about their future. At the union branch’s annual general meeting on Tithebarn Street yesterday (October 2) Unite demanded the management give meaningful commitments to the workforce about their roles.
The union claimed Diligenta has cut desk capacity in Liverpool by more than half, frozen recruitment in Liverpool while back-filling roles from other sites, shifted call-centre management to Peterborough, which has already resulted in redundancies.
It also said the company had imposed a below-inflation 2-3% pay rise despite workers balloting for industrial action for an RPI-matching increase.
Before the meeting, Unite Diligenta officer Jacob Goddard said: “Unite members in Diligenta Liverpool have serious concerns about their futures as their employer continues with a recruitment freeze at the site.
“Diligenta needs to step back from any further job cuts at the Liverpool site and recognise the importance of the Old Hall Street office which employs over 500 workers.”
At yesterday’s meeting, Labour MP for West Derby Ian Byrne, spoke to the ECHO about why he felt it was vital to support the workers. He said “It was flagged up to me by West Derby constituents – you think about the historical significance of this place, what it means to the city.
“When I’m speaking to a couple of the union members, who I know, I start thinking that I know lots and lots of people who have come through this place.
“It’s a huge part of the fabric of the city. I don’t think there’s an understanding from the company of what it means, from a Royal Insurance point of view.”
Mr Byrne said he felt the dispute could contribute to a loss of professional jobs in Liverpool city centre. He feared the impact it would have on the business district around Tithebarn Street and Old Hall Street.
He said: “You can feel professional jobs moving out of the city. Friday night used to be bustling around this area – it was a really busy driver of economic prosperity for the city.
“These huge companies, like Diligenta have been here for more than 150 years in previous forms. I just think it’s sad and I don’t think we can allow it.
Ian Byrne MP(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“The thing is, it’s got the ability to thrive, to make sure more young Scousers get the opportunity to go through this place and learn a trade, like many have. There are many here that have been here all their lives – it’s a pushback.”
Helen Camp, Unite’s acting regional co-ordinating officer, said the union was fighting for jobs in Liverpool and working to improve conditions for staff.
She told the ECHO: “There are two issues. In terms of the Liverpool site, we feel that over a number of years they have been essentially union-busting by stealth. They have reduced the amount of floorspace significantly – most recently they’ve halved the number of desks we have in the Liverpool office.
“It’s the most unionised site in the UK, it’s got good-quality unionised jobs in the city of Liverpool and we’re really concerned that they are union-busting.
“They are trying to reduce that footprint, they’ve got a recruitment freeze on, which means any posts that are coming up, they’re backfilling at other sites elsewhere in the country. These jobs are leaving our city and we think that’s unacceptable.”
Like Mr Byrne, Ms Camp believes the heritage of the site and the history with Royal Insurance should be respected. She said: “These are people that have come from Royal Insurance, these are jobs that have come from Royal Insurance. They have been in this city for years and years.
“These are long-established, quality jobs in this city. This is what we need here. Careers that people stay in for many years seem to be on the decline. We want to fight for these quality jobs in our city because it’s important for our future.”
Diligenta declined to comment when approached by the ECHO.