IBM's "Project Match" Gets Employees to Outsource Themselves

IBM has laid off several thousand people during this recession. However, according to a internal IBM document obtained by CNNMoney, some of the North American employees can still save their jobs --- if they choose to move to another country and work at the local pay rate.

In other words, according to the document, these American or Canadian IBM workers can move to any of these countries: India, Nigeria, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates, as long as they are "satisfactory performers" who are "willing to work on local terms and conditions."

Translation: local pay.

IBM attempts to "sweeten the pot" by saying it will pay for moving and help with visa assistance. They say:

"IBM has established Project Match to help you locate potential job opportunities in growth markets where your skills are in demand. Should you accept a position in one of these countries, IBM offers financial assistance to offset moving costs, provides immigration support, such as visa assistance, and other support to help ease the transition of an international move."

One need only look at the compensation and stock options available to IBM's CEO and Chairman Sam Palmisano to grow angry: his salary alone is $1.8 million. On Feb. 1st he sold 55,253 shares worth $5,103,167. Let's see him go to India and work for local pay.

A spokesman for Alliance@IBM, a workers' group that's affiliated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) but which is not recognized as an official union at IBM, blasted the company:

"IBM is not only offshoring IBM U.S. jobs but they want employees to offshore themselves through Project Match."

Meanwhile, an IBM spokesman naturally tried to spin the program positively:

"It's more of a vehicle for people who want to expand their life experience by working somewhere else. A lot of people want to work in India."

Oh, sure. I've been told by Indian friends what a nightmare the infrastructure, traffic, crowds, pollution (need I go on?) is. Sure, a lot of people want to go there. And I have a bridge in Mumbai to sell you.