Unite Members at Fujitsu Vote Overwhelmingly to Strike Over Pay and Pensions

LONDON -

Members of Unite, the UK’s largest union, working for Fujitsu have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action as part of a UK-wide consultative ballot against a proposal to close the company’s main final salary pension scheme and the imposition of a pay freeze. 87 per cent of members voted in favour of strike action and 96 per cent in favour of industrial action short of a strike.

Some 4000 employees in the main defined benefit pension plan are being hit by the company’s plans to close the scheme to future accrual. If the proposal goes ahead, the company intends to dismiss employees after the end of the consultation period in September, and offer them employment on new contracts which are unchanged except in relation to pensions.

The union estimates that the proposed pension scheme change would reduce the total pay package of each employee by at least 15 per cent, and is the latest in a series of attacks on employee conditions at the company.

The company imposed a pay freeze on UK staff earlier this year just a week before it was due to take effect, withdrawing promised pay rises to employees.

Last week Fujitsu announced proposals for 1200 redundancies in the UK, amounting to 10 per cent of its UK workforce.

Fujitsu Services continues to make significant profits, with a GBP200m profit before taxation last year and a pay out to two directors of GBP1.59m in compensation for loss of office. In the last month, announcing the latest results, the Fujitsu President forecast record future profits.

Peter Skyte, Unite national officer for IT and communications, said: “Fujitsu Services is not struggling or failing. It is a highly profitable and successful company but one which is seeking to take advantage of the recession to attack jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.

“Our members are insisting that the company should pay fairly and provide decent pensions for all its employees. Following the announcement of 1200 redundancies, they are now calling for the issue of job cuts to be included in any ballot for formal industrial action. We are calling on the company to meet us to resolve these issues and avoid the risk of damaging industrial action.”

Fujitsu employs around 12,500 people in the UK. Fujitsu’s main sites are at Bracknell, Stevenage, Manchester, Crewe, Belfast, Staines, Basingstoke, Wakefield, Sheffield, Solihull, Slough, Lewes, Warrington, Cardiff, Bristol, Newcastle and London.

Source: Unite the Union

For further information please call Peter Skyte on +44(0)7768-931302 or Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite Press Office on +44(0)20-7420-8914 or +44(0)7980-224761.