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UNI Global Union and IndustriALL Europe Trade Union bring together European trade unions to address HP job cuts



Berlin 19 October - UNI Global Union and IndustriALL together with more than a dozen unions today launch a European alliance to coordinate a unified plan to address Hewlett Packard (HP)’s decision to cut over 8000 staff from its Europe-based operations by 2014 without proper explanation or consultation.



Marcus Courtney, Head of UNI ICTS said, “HP has acted in a high-handed manner over its plans to cut jobs. HP management has not been transparent about informing employees in individual countries how the job cuts will affect them. HP has flagrantly disregarded its obligations to inform and consult under its European Works Council Agreement.”



IndustriALL Europe Trade Union Deputy General Secretary Luc Triangle quotes: “The new alliance will present a united union front at the European level and challenge HP to change its plans and secure sustainable jobs. Together we will present a force that HP will not be able to ignore.”



HP has approximately 350,000 employees worldwide, out of which more than 80,000 are based in Europe. More than a dozen trade unions in ten different European countries represent HP employees. In addition, a series of national works councils or representative bodies and a European Works Council also represent HP employees.



The newly elected HP Trade Union Alliance coordinator Koen Dries said that “if HP wants to become an innovative and leading company again, it has to start respecting the workforce like it used to do in the 90s. The present model is just not sustainable.”



In 2012, HP announced that it would cut 29,000 jobs globally, including 8,000+ in Europe, by 2014. Not only did the company fail to provide adequate information to employee representatives at the national level, it also disregarded the procedures for information and consultation under its European Works Council Agreement. In order to effectively influence the company to change its current employee policy and secure sustainable jobs in the future, a united trade union front in HP is needed at the European level.

For more information or to organise interviews please contact:

Richard Elliott, UNI Global Union Communications Director Richard.elliott@uniglobalunion.org +41 79 794 9709