London, May 16 (IANS) Britain's largest workers' union says a decision by Lloyds TSB (LTSB) bank to transfer work from cities across Britain to India will result in the loss of up to 445 jobs by the end of 2008.

Unite said the bank's IT employees in London and Manchester will be hit hardest by the move.

'Unite is disappointed by the offshoring announcement today by LTSB to go ahead with the transfer of up to 250 jobs to India. We do not believe that the business case for this decision has been made; we are challenging the bank to consider alternative options, said Unite's John Bancroft.

Unite has an 'offshoring agreement' with LTSB which states that the union will be consulted before any offshoring decisions are made and that there will be no compulsory redundancies.

The agreement also ensures that any employee who is affected by offshoring - whether they stay with the bank or not - receives a 2,000 pounds training bond to enhance and develop their skills.

We will be working to ensure that staff in the bank are offered suitable alternative employment and that their terms and conditions are protected, Bancroft said.

Unite said the IT job cuts will impact Lloyds TSB offices in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Haywards Heath, Gloucester, Andover, Edinburgh and Brighton.