HP is expected to make a staff restructuring announcement next
week following its acquisition of outsourcer EDS.
Unite, the largest union in the UK, met with over 40 other
European union representatives from nine countries in Brussels this
week, in advance of the expected re-structuring announcement by
HP.
The HP announcement, due on Monday 15 September, follows its
takeover of EDS, and is predicted by the unions to contain details
of substantial job cuts in the UK and worldwide.
The unions are concerned about the impact on employment and
working conditions of the EDS takeover by HP, and are also
dissatisfied "about the lack of information provided by HP and EDS
to date".
The unions, representing the HP and EDS workforces across
Europe, called on the HP management to ensure full and meaningful
consultation at UK and European level prior to firm decisions being
taken.
They also expressed their opposition to compulsory redundancies,
and urged HP to provide a detailed plan for redeployment and
re-skilling of the existing workforce in the event of a
re-organisation.
Peter Skyte, Unite national officer, said, "We are not against
change, but will closely monitor the impact of any proposals
announced by HP next week, and take all possible steps to safeguard
the interests of the workforce."
He said EDS in the UK, prior to its takeover by HP, had placed
an emphasis on reskilling and redeploying substantial numbers of
people in restructurings within the company as an alternative to
redundancy.
"We support this approach, and will oppose any attempt to return
to the slash and burn approach favoured by IT companies in the
past," said Skyte.