UNITE has been working hard to protect the jobs at risk as a result of the termination of Fujitsu’s NHS contract.
When the formal consultation started on 20th June, there were 672 jobs at risk, yesterday the total was down to 189, largely due to successful redeployment, but also helped by some NHS work continuing.
Of the 189, some have had their consultation periods extended because of ongoing NHS work, but as of yesterday 109 were expected to be made redundant next Thursday (18th September).
Apart from the reduction in numbers at risk, other successes include:
* The company has finally agreed to operate a limited “Voluntary Redundancy” (VR) process within the NHS account
* Everyone made redundant will get at least 4 weeks’ pay as a redundancy payment, regardless of length of service
* People who leave the company through redundancy or TUPE have a pro-rata entitlement to any bonus payment
* People likely to TUPE out are not “ring-fenced” in their jobs but can still get other jobs within Fujitsu
* Trial periods are being applied to all redeployments, not selectively
* Trial periods are one-way (i.e. for the employee to try out the job, not for the manager to try out the employee)
* For staff covered by the Manchester agreement, the Redeployment Warning Period means staff who want it are getting longer to find another job
* People being redeployed are entitled to proper “job offer” letters so that they can make informed decisions
Some of those at risk just want an end to the uncertainty, to leave Fujitsu and get on with their lives. However, there are still people at risk who want to keep their jobs. There are a number of steps that Fujitsu could and should be taking:
* Communicating openly with staff across the company about what is going on
* Seeking volunteers for redundancy elsewhere in the company (not just from within the NHS account) and accepting them where NHS staff can be redeployed into their jobs
* Extending the consultation period beyond 18th September to allow more time for alternative suppliers to be identified and for staff to be redeployed, while allowing those who want to leave now to do so
* Doing more to replace contractor and temp positions with permanent jobs
* Authorising recruitment into teams that are understaffed
* Stopping paid and unpaid overtime throughout the company, unless it can be demonstrated that staff at risk couldn’t be redeployed to do the work
With the numbers falling at risk as rapidly as they are, are compulsory redundancies really necessary? If there was stronger union organisation in the areas most affected, would the company be taking the time necessary to achieve this? In Manchester, where we already have union recognition, we now have no UNITE members fighting to keep their jobs on NHS.
As well as encouraging Fujitsu to go the extra mile to protect its staff, UNITE has been applying political pressure. Below is a report of a meeting today:...
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Report on UNITE meeting with the Health Minister re Fujitsu NHS redundancies, 11th September 2008 Peter Skyte (UNITE National Officer), Ian Allinson (UNITE rep) and Claire Moody (UNITE political department) met with Ben Bradshaw MP (Health Minister), and Gordon Hextall (Chief Operating Officer, Connecting For Health) in a last-ditch attempt to find a way to help Fujitsu employees at risk of redundancy on the NHS contract who want to keep their jobs. The particular focus was on the 109 people currently expected to be dismissed as redundant on 18th September. It was said that CFH do not believe Fujitsu has behaved well over the termination, and contrasted this with Accenture. It was further said that Fujitsu had not responded to pressure (e.g. through the Office of Government Commerce) about the potential impact on other bids and contracts. UNITE were informed that the NHS trusts wanted to consider options using both BT and CSC as future suppliers. In general, there was no clear timescale for them to take decisions and this certainly would not be by 18th September. However, some trusts had clearly indicated that they wanted a version of the Cerner product from BT. These are Bath, Bristol and Oxford Radcliffe. BT is already undertaking a 1 month due-diligence process for Bath and Bristol, and CFH has given them commercial cover for this (i.e. is paying them for the work). The following actions were agreed, with a clear understanding of the urgency if this was to help people due for redundancy next week: 1) Gordon Hextall will explore how many Fujitsu staff were assigned to the trusts that have decided on BT as a supplier, and whether letters of intent could be provided to allow more people to be taken off the "at risk" list. 2) Gordon Hextall will convene a meeting (probably on Monday) between CFH, BT, Fujitsu (and possibly UNITE) to discuss how the consultation period could be extended if there were some under-writing of costs. 3) The Department of Health will explore whether it would be possible for the Secretary of State for Health to issue a direction imposing a deadline for decisions on the NHS trusts. The aim would be to limit the period of uncertainty, making more options on redundancy commercially possible. Ben Bradshaw offered to talk to the parties directly if that would help. |
The company is inviting you to vote in a by-election for a vacant North-West seat on its UK Consultative Forum (UKCF).
There are four candidates for one seat, so your votes are important.
UNITE had invited members who were interested in standing to seek union support, and two did so. Members then voted to select which of the two would be the union-backed candidate. Rob (Wilf) Williams was selected by union members, so the other member who had expressed an interest graciously withdrew.
Within the next week you should receive an email from Electoral Reform Services which includes the details of how to vote. Please vote for Wilf as soon as you receive the email, so that it doesn’t get buried in your inbox. Please encourage your workmates to do the same.
For more information about the UKCF, see the information UNITE produced for the previous elections: www.ourunion.org.uk/ukcf.htm
Are You Concerned About Climate Change?
UNITE’s Environmental Reps at Central Park present:
Free film-show:
Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”
Discussion hosted by Martin Empson
(Campaign Against Climate Change)
Free food (if you book in advance – see below)
When: 5pm, Tuesday 9th September
Where: MAN34 Restaurant
If you are interested in the issue, want to share your views, ask questions or just want to find out more, then why not come along?
If you have views or questions about anything environmental, from those that affect us at work, the congestion charge or the wider issues then come along and get involved in the discussion! It would be great to think that from these discussions we could identify ways to make a real difference to our environment.
Your UNITE Environmental Reps are: Helen Clayson, Stephen Gibson, Steve Perkins and Simon Wood.
To make sure there’s food for you, please book a place here
.