Fujitsu Taking advantage of economic downturn

pa.press.net

Japanese firm Fujitsu is facing the threat of strikes over plans to close its main final salary pension scheme and impose a pay freeze.

The manufacturing workers' union Unite said, its members had indicated in a consultative ballot that they would be prepared to take industrial action.

The union could now move to a formal strike ballot after complaining that 4,000 workers in the firm's defined benefit pension plan were being hit by the plans.

Unite said 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%, and is the latest in a series of "attacks" on employee conditions at the company, including a pay freeze.

Last week Fujitsu announced proposals for 1,200 redundancies in the UK, amounting to 10% of its UK workforce.

Unite's national officer Peter Skyte said: "Fujitsu Services is not struggling or failing. It is a highly profitable and successful company but one which is seeking to take economic 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 1,200 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, with main sites at Bracknell, Stevenage, Manchester, Crewe, Belfast, Staines, Basingstoke, Wakefield, Sheffield, Solihull, Slough, Lewes, Warrington, Cardiff, Bristol, Newcastle and London.