HP/EDS “frozen day” was success throughout Europe
The second European action day jointly organized by UNI-Europa and the EMF throughout the continent to protest against HP/EDS restructuring plan, and its consequent salary freeze, benefit cuts and redundancies proved to be a success. The action was named “frozen day” in reference to the announced salary freeze.
In Germany, actions were organized in virtually all locations with staff meetings reaching 100% participation in certain places. More than 900 employees gathered in Rüsselsheim while the Bremen steelworks account was left empty. Workers in Ludwigsburg used their lunch break to meet with their colleagues in Böblingen to discuss the situation.
Smaller meetings also attracted a lot of interest as the one in the Sal Oppenheim subsidiary. In Schweinfurt, IT employees from the former SKF even gave a hand to their colleagues to organise the demonstration. Under the motto “Yes to HP, but only if everyone is included” the action day received very good press and TV coverage in the country.
Unfortunately, EDS management refused negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement on job security, safeguarding of current terms and conditions of employment and pay increase. On the contrary, they threatened the workers’ council with the closure of other locations. This lead ver.di and IG Metall to call for a joint strike at 14 German sites on February 10th.
This action was supported by Spanish colleagues from EDS group of Comisiones Obreras (CCOO COMFIA) who sent a solidarity letter in which they declare that “such a reduction of labor entails dangerous levels of stress among workers and jeopardizes the quality of service provided to customers and thus the business of this company”.
In France, a major demonstration was organised on January 29th in different cities. It proved to be very uniting since workers from HP, IBM and EDS walked together under a common banner to fight the antisocial policies of their employers with all trade unions involved. The strike got very good media coverage with a major French TV relaying the event in Paris.
In Belgium, a protest was held on Friday morning in front HP building in Diegem addressing a number of open issues (workforce reduction, salary freeze, EDS integration, social plan ...). Delegations from HP CDS, EDS and other HP sites joined to form a group of 200 people. In the afternoon a meeting which was agreed prior to action took place between union reps and HP management and resulted in an agreement on the HP social plan.
In the UK, tech workers asked for “no compulsory redundancies” while union members demonstrated outside the company site in Bristol. The union Unite said the “credit crunch is not the problem. Short termist greed is the issue”.
Two strikes were organised at HP/EDS Italy during January in cities like Milan, Rome and Bari. Although the participation rate reached 95% in certain cases, management didn’t react.
More than 160 employees from HP and EDS jointly attended, physically or by phone, a one hour meeting held by HP management in Austria after an action day took place at HP’s headquarters in the country. Both EDS and HP’s works councils decided to work together in order to solve common issues on frozen salaries, bonuses and allowances.
When it comes to Sweden, HP corporate management announced that the firm will cut compensations and benefits but the bonus programs are maintained. The Swedish Union Unionen can't accept this state of fact and is asking to meet with the management in order to discuss bonus programs, the use of external consultants and the maintenance of employment benefits.
As for the Netherlands, the union FNV Bondgenoten is examining the reduction plans after a satisfactory agreement was reached regarding a social plan and expressed its full solidarity with all the above mentioned actions.
Finally, it has also to be said that workers in Hungary are suffering job losses due to the closure of several EDS centres in the country.
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EMF is the representative body defending the interests of workers in the European metal industry.
UNI-Europa is the European trade union organisation for skills and services.
For further information please contact:
Isabelle Barthès, EMF Policy Advisor on Company Policy +32(0)2 227 10 12
Gerd Rohde, UNI-Europa + 41 792 02 19 28