An MP has threatened to punish Barclays if jobs are axed in Sussex and a busy finance centre is moved to India.

Michael Foster has warned customers may also turn their back on the company if the plans go ahead.

Barclays is conducting a feasibility study to look at moving its sales and finance centre from Hastings to India, where costs are much lower.

Although the extent of possible job losses is not known, the bank employs 350 staff at the town-centre operation.

Barclays bosses insist not all of the staff would be affected should they move and officials from finance union Unifi were last night meeting members to discuss the plans.

Staff were told of the proposals in meetings and jobs in Hastings could go as soon as January, possibly triggering industrial action.

Hastings and Rye Labour MP Michael Foster has written to Barclays' group chief executive Matt Barrett, demanding jobs be safeguarded and accused management of greed.

In his letter, he said relocating to India would be short-sighted, unnecessary and would significantly damage the company's standing.

Mr Foster said: "I have no objection at all to investing in the developing world, particularly if current arrangements are failing. But it is a smack in the teeth for employees that multi-nationals are so prepared to abandon a responsible and dedicated workforce.

"A company as large and successful as Barclays should be able to pay its workers a decent wage and not seek to employ staff in poorer countries for peanuts.

"I intend to be at the forefront of any campaign to punish companies that take this line.

"Consumer power can achieve a lot and if we refuse to deal with companies who export jobs in this way, perhaps the message will get across."

Unifi national secretary Mick McTiernan said: "We would oppose by whatever means necessary any compulsory redundancies in Hastings. We believe any organisation the size of Barclays owes it to its staff to ensure there are no compulsory redundancies. We are saying to Barclays if it wants to move jobs overseas, then at least look after employees at this end."

A spokeswoman for Barclays said: "On October 30, the management team for our sales financing business met face-to-face with the staff there to tell them we were undertaking a feasibility study to work out how we can improve the efficiency of some of the operations and processes which take place there.

"We will be looking at a number of options, one of which is to outsource some work offshore.

"We have stressed to staff that a final decision has not been taken and will not be taken until early in the new year.

"As a result it is too soon to discuss the possibility of redundancies.

"Our objective is to be open and honest with our people and to deal with them sensitively. We have a partnership agreement with Unifi and have and will continue to involve it in this process."