More than 200 jobs have been axed at American Express (Amex) after the corporation said it was moving one of its finance centres to India.

Staff at Sussex House in Burgess Hill were officially given the bad news yesterday - 90 days after learning about the proposals.

The decision by the financial services giant has resulted in 188 direct job losses. A further 16 vacant positions at the centre in Civic Way have also been scrapped.

Of the jobs, 123 have been moved to New Delhi with the remaining 65 going to a finance centre in Phoenix, USA.

Cutting costs was one of the main reasons behind the decision but an Amex spokesman refused to put a figure on the savings.

The workers who have lost their jobs were involved in monitoring and reporting the corporation's internal accounts.

Amex - Brighton and Hove's biggest private sector employers - described the decision as "regrettable" and said staff were being counselled.

It said the decision was taken after three months of "careful consideration" and was the result of a global structural review.

Spokesman Doug Smith said: "These decisions are always hard to take and we have been working with those affected to help them find alternative work.

"It is a difficult period but every global company has to keep reviewing the way it operates."

In February it was feared all 342 positions would be lost but Amex has now confirmed 138 jobs have been spared.

Amicus, the UK's largest manufacturing and skilled persons' union, called for a Government inquiry when the proposals were mooted in February.

Unions fear more than 200,000 financial services jobs could be moved overseas by 2008, with a potentially devastating impact on Brighton and Hove's economy.

Barry Jones, Amicus South-East regional officer, said: "We have raised the question of offshoring with the Government and it is something local MPs would be foolish to ignore.

"Amex is a big employer in Burgess Hill and in Brighton and Hove and we are concerned about the impact these job losses are having on local communities."

Amex employs approximately 4,000 people in Sussex, including just over 400 employees who continue to work at Burgess Hill.

Friday May 21, 2004