Union leaders are to hold a strike ballot at one of Glasgow's biggest call centres after news the complex could be axed.

The city's O2 mobile phone customer service hub at Skypark, Finnieston, has 1000 staff and they will receive ballot papers on Friday.

The move is the latest twist in a row between the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the company, as well as global outsourcing firm Capita.

Spanish-owned O2 is to switch customer service work at its four UK call centres to Capita, along with 3700 staff. The transfer is due next month after O2 signed a 10-year deal with Capita for £1.2billion.

The contract will trigger £1bn of savings for O2's parent company Telefonica at a time when it has billions of pounds of debt.

O2 said the switch would not lead to compulsory job losses and promised to protect existing pay and conditions for the next two years.

However, it was reported last week there was a secret plan to axe the Glasgow call centre and another at Bury in Greater Manchester – which have a combined workforce of 1700 – in 2015 while creating jobs at a call centre in Cape Town, South Africa, and in India.

O2 said there was "no secret plan" but admitted it would need fewer staff in the years ahead.

CWU deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said: "This ballot is about protecting decent UK jobs. We have been forced to hold a ballot because of the unusually short consultation period and lack of progress on assurances over job security, terms and conditions and the future of sites.

"We are already two weeks into the 41-day consultation period and have made no progress on key issues.

"Trust is at rockbottom, made worse by speculation around site closures and ofshoring work."

The ballot result will be announced on June 18. If staff vote for industrial action it could begin a week later.

An O2 spokesman said: "We are disappointed. We are committed to meeting the CWU as frequently as necessary to discuss its concerns, with the aim of reaching agreement and avoiding the ballot and any subsequent industrial action."

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk