Axa's plans to open a call centre business in Morocco, employing 1,500 staff and saving the French insurer €75m ($95m) annually, has triggered an angry reaction from trades unions.

Yan Balat, spokesman for Axa France, said the insurer had decided to open a call centre in Morocco after negotiations failed with unions two years ago over proposals for French staff to work later in the evenings and at weekends. Staff at Axa France work a 34-hour week.