News

The Timisoara IT Trade Union (SITT) based in Timisoara, Romania, represents more than 3,000 employees, working for three technology companies: Alcatel Lucent Romania, Accenture Managed Services Romania and Wipro Technologies Romania.

Alcatel-Lucent recently announced it was merging with Nokia Systems and in response to this news SITT conducted an organizing campaign with the goal of increasing the awareness of newly hired employees about the presence and actions of SITT. Under the slogan of Discover SITT the aim of the action was, according to SITT Representative Florentin Iancu, ‘to create a friendly environment that would allow union representatives to have a relaxed chat with the employees and explain how the union works, what its main objectives are and why it is important to strengthen our position within the company’. The organizers decided to bring a mobile coffee shop and create around it a small photography exhibition with photos showing different other actions from the history of the organization. During the three days of the campaign, the organizers had the opportunity not only to inform more than a hundred employees about the union’s activities but also to talk with workers about the current working conditions and learn more about employees’ perceptions regarding the Nokia – Alcatel-Lucent acquisition. As a result an important number of employees decided to join the union and also the union representatives have had the chance to understand better the employees needs and perspectives on the future of the company.

Javier Carles, UNI ICTS Department Coordinator with responsibilities for Central and Easter Europe, says: “SITT is one of the best examples about how unions in CEE can use innovative practices to successfully organise in the IT sector".