Workers at IT giant Fujitsu at Birmingham Business Park in Solihull took strike action this week after bosses revealed plans to offshore jobs to low-cost countries.

Unite's 1,200 members across the country began the 24-hour stoppage on Tuesday.

The union's national officer Ian Tonks said the employess had taken the action to defend their jobs, pay and pensions and to gain union recognition.

"Trying to replace highly skilled workers with offshore staff who have yet to be recruited is extremely risky," he said.

"Similar projects have not been successful for Fujitsu’s competitors and early indications are that Fujitsu and its customers, which include major companies and government departments, will suffer.

"Meaningful plans for the business in the UK have yet to be shared with employees.

"The risks of offshoring to customers could be multiplied by the company rushing through job cuts with minimal effort at redeployment and retraining, leading to staff opposition rather than the cooperation needed to make it a success.

"Fujitsu is a highly profitable and successful company - its main UK subsidiary having made a healthy profit last year and credit must go to the skilled and dedicated UK workforce.

"Our members have demonstrated the seriousness of their intent and more industrial action is on the cards if the company continues to treat them with disdain."

Fujitsu declined to comment.