Fujitsu strikes are OFF – it's not the 1970s after all

Unite has suspended all industrial action in its dispute with Fujitsu over planned cuts to job, pay and pensions in the UK. The ceasefire was called so unionised workers can review a package brought to the negotiating table by the IT giant's management. Fujitsu put 1,800 UK staff at risk of redundancy in October. Its …

[chezzbian]

Company disarray

As in previous machinations to cut costs, there is no strategy apparent and no evidence as to what the logic is when questioned on the business case for redundancies. It appears to be spread FUD then work out what they are doing - no change there then. A shame when they are making huge strides in real business priority areas like getting into the top 100 Stonewall Employer table and dumping the only employer/emloyee communication channel.

[Tom Paine]

Gather round... old man yarning...

One amusing way to baffle the kids* these days - apart from operator-connected phone calls, Push Button B, pounds shillings and pence, and having to wait 6 months for the Post Office to install your phone, which came in red green black or blue and were all identical -- is that once, during a student holiday job, I took part in a union mass meeting, followed by a show-of-hands vote on strike action. I remember thinking at the time that this was an experience to remember.

(We voted to approve strike action, management later tabled a better pay offer, it was accepted. fwiw.)

* under 35 = a kid. right, kids?

[AMBxx]

dispute over pay centred on the gender gap that exists in the organisation

Genuine question - is the dispute over not enough women being employed or about women being paid less?

[Steve Todd]

Re: dispute over pay centred on the gender gap that exists in the organisation

That would be because women are being paid less to do the same work. Fewer women working in an IT type environment than men is (sadly) the norm and not something Unions normally complain about.

[chr0m4t1c]

Re: dispute over pay centred on the gender gap that exists in the organisation

Unfortunately, the lack of gender equality in IT isn't something that the unions can easily address.

Last time we hired in my area (a long time ago), we had exactly zero female applicants for two positions, so it's not like we could have even looked at trying to address the mostly male bias in the unit.

By contrast, the last place I worked at had about 35% women and often did have a bit of a mix for job applications. Both are large IT firms.

[Anonymous Coward]

UK still has full time jobs in the uk?

for IT people. Oh well, some good union action will sort that... next board meeting "how can we outsource the fuck out of these people".

[Vinyl-Junkie]

When you say...

..."it's not the 1970s after all" do you mean Unite has called off the strike because it is no longer the 1970s and unions behave differently

or

it no longer feels like the 1970s because Unite has called off the strike?

Somewhat different meanings, as the first one is somewhat more sympathetic to the union.

[retired_in_london]

Nearsighted Workers

Fujitsu should have done like Every other major vendor and move their operations to Asia.

Hiring Litigious Labor Union thugs only leads to lawsuits. Fujitsu is getting what they deserve for staying in the UK.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Nearsighted Workers

Fujitsu should have done like Every other major vendor and move their operations to Asia.

"retired_in_london", I think you'll find the Daily Mail comments section is somewhere over there ---->