Business News

Unite Meets With European Unions to Deal With HP Restructuring Following Acquisition of EDS

Monday 15. September 2008 - Unite, the UK's largest union, met with over 40 other European union representatives from 9 countries in Brussels in advance of an expected re-structuring announcement by the IT company Hewlett Packard (HP) next week.

The HP announcement, due on Monday 15th 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, 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 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 safeguardthe interests of our members and the workforce.

“EDS in the UK, prior to its takeover by HP, has placed a positiveemphasis on reskilling and redeploying substantial numbers of people inrestructuring 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.”