Unite Fujitsu News

NHS successes

UNITE has been working hard to protect the 672 employees whose jobs were put at risk on 20th June following the company’s decision to withdraw from negotiations on the NHS contract and the subsequent termination of the contract.

The union left no stone unturned, doing everything from providing individual support to members to lobbying the Minister for Health, from holding discussions with staff at risk to participating in the consultation forum meetings in Slough.

A great deal has been achieved, and there is no doubt that the “Annex 1” agreement members secured in Manchester last year was a great help to people right across the country. “We want what Manchester gets” became a common phrase as people realised that the agreement enshrines good practice.

Nationally, though the majority were redeployed, there were still unwanted redundancies. The total number made redundant was around 70, though a similar number remain at risk of redundancy on 28th November and others could TUPE to another supplier at some stage.

Aside from the main point – redeployment – here are some of our specific achievements:

• A limited “Voluntary Redundancy” (VR) process within the NHS account
• Everyone made redundant got 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 for 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 meant staff who wanted it got longer before redundancy
• People are entitled to proper “job offer” letters so that they can make informed decisions
• People who wished to work some of their notice period were allowed to do so

If we had had stronger union organisation in the areas most affected, we might have avoided compulsory redundancies altogether.

In the current economic climate – union membership and organisation is more valuable than ever.

Recruitment Competition

UNITE is running a recruitment competition for Fujitsu Services employees in the UK. You can enter by joining UNITE, or by recruiting colleagues – and the more you recruit, the more chances you have to win.

To enter, simply return the completed application form to “UNITE – The Union, MAN34” internally or “UNITE – The Union, Fujitsu Services, Central Park, Northampton Road, Manchester, M40 5BP”. The draw will be made before Xmas. So far we have cash prizes totalling £300 and donations of any more prizes would be welcome.

The stronger the union the more we can influence Fujitsu over vital questions such as pay and job security. Who could you ask to join?

UKCF Elections

There are currently by-elections for vacancies on the company’s UK Consultative Forum (UKCF).

Two union-backed candidates have already been elected unopposed:

* Thames Valley & South West: Chetan Bhatt (Prospect member)
* Midlands: Martin Bright (PCS member)

The vacant North-West seat is being contested by four candidates, so if you are in the North-West, please make sure you vote before the deadline of 5pm on Thursday 30th October. The email with your voting details in was sent out on 13th October.

UNITE is encouraging voters to support Robert (Wilf) Williams.

Fair Pay at Fujitsu – Campaign Begins

In 2008 a disappointing pay review was followed by the cancellation of bonuses. UNITE polled employees and got a very strong response that large numbers of members and non-members wanted to campaign for better pay.

Since then we’ve found out that the company made over £90m profit last year despite taking a worst-case view of the losses on NHS. In reality, the NHS redeployment process was considerably better than “worst case” and Fujitsu is taking legal action to recover losses from Connecting For Health. Meanwhile inflation has soared to 5% (RPI to September).

Reps from across Fujitsu have put together plans for a national pay campaign to put pressure on the company to improve our pay. If you want to influence the size of the pay budget, the time is now, as budget decisions are usually made before Xmas. Some of the key points employees say they want to see are:

* A bigger pay pot, allowing rises to reflect the increasing cost of living
* A fairer and more transparent system for determining pay and benefits
* Proper increases to pay and benefits on promotion and progression

What you can do:

1. UNITE has produced some new lanyards for the campaign, reading “UNITE for fair pay in Fujitsu”. Please wear one and encourage colleagues to do the same – whether they are in the union yet or not. Members should get them from their rep (see here). Reps can order them from us (please say how many you need and where to send them).
2. Talk to your colleagues about pay, and feed views back to your reps.
3. Help distribute union newsletters. The first of a series of national leaflets for the campaign will be out soon – let us know if you can help distribute them at your site.
4. Ask a colleague to join. New joiners in Fujitsu and the members who recruit them will be entered into a prize draw.

As the campaign involved there will be lots more ways for employees to get involved, but please make a start now.

Manchester: EGM Report

Thanks to everyone who attended the UNITE members’ Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Friday for the Manchester bargaining unit.

This report aims to summarise the decisions and other key points.

Pay Claim

Members agreed some changes to the draft pay claim prepared by the reps. The revised claim (below) was then agreed unanimously on the basis that:

a) If members in Warrington wanted some minor changes in order to use the same claim, reps would come back to members on this, possibly by email.
b) Environmental Reps will separately follow up the idea of encouraging improvements to energy saving and recycling by the company contributing some of the financial benefits to charity.
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UNITE will shortly be launching a national campaign around pay in Fujitsu, and its success will depend on the involvement of employees:

• We have new ID-pass lanyards with the slogan “UNITE for fair pay at Fujitsu”. These are available via your reps – please wear one and encourage colleagues to do likewise whether they are union members or not.
• A recruitment competition will be launched in Fujitsu, with £300 of cash prizes to be drawn before Xmas. New recruits and their recruiters will be entered. Look out for a national email with more details. Why not ask a colleague to join?
• The campaign will include a variety of leaflets and other materials – can you help distribute them when they come out?
• Above all, please talk to your workmates about the issues, find out what they think, and talk to your reps. No amount of leaflets and emails can substitute for people talking to each other!
• Lots of employees have made suggestions for the campaign via our pay survey – please keep them coming in.

Elections

Congratulations to two new workplace reps who were elected to join the existing team:

* Andy Wilburn, HOM99
* Jackie Cook, MAN33

Our recognition agreement limits the number of workplace reps recognised by the company to 11, but the company has indicated that it will use the facility in our agreement to recognise deputies as an interim step to help provide rep coverage across the different parts of the company organisation structure.

The election of Andy and Jackie takes our number of workplace reps to 12, so it was agreed to leave it to the existing reps in consultation with the two new reps to determine which would formally be a deputy.

Other Key Points

• Progress on a number of issues has been slower than hoped, but is still moving forward. In addition, there have been significant successes in unexpected areas (e.g. reducing the damage from the NHS contract cancellation).
• Employees are seeing significant benefits from our Annex 1 agreement on redeployment and redundancy, though the processes are still not smooth. UNITE will be giving input to a “lessons learned” exercise from the NHS next week.
• The company is also recognising the significant improvement in relationships since the dispute.
• More people have joined UNITE in Fujitsu in 2008 already than the whole of 2007 – itself a very busy year.
• The timescale for the Equal Pay Review has slipped, but progress is still being made. ACAS have agreed to help with the job evaluation aspect.
• Deliberately or accidentally, it is not unusual for employees to be “offered” changes to their Terms and Conditions (Ts & Cs) that worsen them significantly and are in breach of our agreements. If you change jobs, get promoted, or are offered any change to your Ts & Cs, please check it carefully and seek advice if necessary. It is much harder to undo the damage once you’ve accepted a change.
• The economic situation is very worrying, and is leading to many job losses generally. The impact on Fujitsu is likely to be more mixed, as customer cost-cutting can encourage outsourcing but discourage discretionary spending. At present, employment is expanding at Fujitsu Manchester, particularly thanks to new work on the Flex contract.
• Workstation assessments (also sometimes called Display Screen Equipment or DSE assessments) are a useful tool to improve your working environment, safety and comfort. The campaign to ensure assessments are carried out and by properly trained assessors (rather than the bureaucratic and almost worthless self-assessment approach) has had some success already. Please remember to insist that you get a proper assessment.
• Please give feedback via your reps on the draft “Rise+” proposals for a new helpdesk job and pay structure. Information about this was circulated in the email notice on 10th October.
• Reps are intending to bring proposals to change how workplace reps are elected to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March. The idea is that most reps will be elected from particular constituencies (e.g. Customer Services, Infrastructure Services, Application Services, HOM99). Some rep roles would continue to be responsible to the whole membership. This would be closer to how most workplaces are organised. The advantages would be to encourage better communication between reps, members, managers and HR on a more local basis. At present, too much tends to bottleneck through certain individuals in UNITE and HR. A concern is to avoid weakening the union in areas without good representation.
• Don’t forget to vote for Rob (Wilf) Williams in the current by-election for a vacancy in the North-West on the company’s UK Consultative Forum (UKCF).
• In response to a legal challenge to the rulebook recently approved by members, there will be an election for the UNITE Joint General Secretary from the Amicus section. It is likely that an EGM will be required later in 2008 to discuss nominations.

Manchester: EGM Today

Don’t forget the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) for all UNITE members in the Manchester bargaining unit:

2pm-3:30pm, Friday 17th October
***TODAY***
MAN35, ground floor, West wing

All members are entitled to attend in work time, but if your manager might need to arrange cover, you should ask them to confirm your release now.

The agenda will include:

· Discussion of reports from Reps (including NHS redundancies, Out Of Hours harmonisation, Learning, Safety, Environment and Equal Pay Review)
· Pay (including progress so far, results from the pay survey, pay and benefit scales, discussion on the proposed new pay and job structure for Customer Services, and deciding on a pay claim)
· Changing the UNITE structure at Fujitsu Manchester
· Elections for Reps

You will also be able to collect some new high-quality UNITE merchandise.

Having analysed the initial responses to the pay survey, your reps have drafted this pay claim for consideration at the EGM:

[the original notice included a draft pay claim]

Suggestions for amendments to improve it are very welcome. If possible, it would be helpful if you can submit them and/or discuss them with your reps in advance of the meeting, so that the meeting can be organised as well as possible.

This is an important meeting – please make sure you come along and have your say, and encourage colleagues to do the same.

Fujitsu Manchester newsletter

To see an electronic copy of our latest paper one-per-desk leaflet on CafeVik, click here (a local version is here).

What is RISE+?

RISE+ is a new management system which is being rolled out across Customer Services (CS) in the UK. It has already been implemented on many of the helpdesks within CS and the intention is to cover all of CS (e.g. mobile engineers). It will:

· Replace the current pay scales
· Change the appraisal system
· Provide ongoing development in role using Behavioural and Technical Competencies.

For Manchester staff, the company has given an initial briefing to UNITE, initially about its implementation for service desk staff in TSS1, TSS2 and TSM1 roles.

As well as the summary below, UNITE has published more documentation on CafeVIK, with the password “draftonly” (without the quotes). There will be a briefing and discussion about Rise+ at the EGM next week and your reps would like your views and input for further discussion with the company about the proposals.

A clearer and more consistent structure for jobs, career development and pay can only be welcomed. However, it is vital to ensure that the detail is right, that the transition from one system to another is fair, and that people don’t lose out.

RISE+ link to appraisal

Each desk would have its own matrix of the required behaviours and competencies. To assess the RISE+ levelling of each employee, the employee must be able to demonstrate and articulate a consistent and unfailing performance level against each competency. Should an employee’s performance decline, performance management would take place. As yet there is no defined matrix for non-technical jobs within the desks. The definition of a “decline in performance” needs clarifying.

Reviews would take place once every six months; January & July. If an employee feels they have been incorrectly assessed they would be able to appeal via their Team Manager. The Operations Manager will then arrange a meeting for re-assessment to take place with the employee / Team & Ops manager. Should the appeal process should be more independent than this?

It is also stated that a level can not be achieved until ALL criteria have been met for that level and you won’t start being considered for the next level up. Some clarification needs to be provided as to the level of ability within a competency.

Some employees may perform many of the competencies in the higher levels, missing one competency in a lower level i.e. organising team meetings presentations and conducting on desk training. Historically management have chosen who will be involved in development opportunities such as on desk training. Also team meetings on some desks are infrequent and many team members are never given the opportunity to undertake these activities. Does this mean they will be kept at the lower level? Or will competencies that the individual doesn’t have the opportunity to demonstrate be ignored?

There is reference to instances where opportunities are not immediately available to satisfy the specific measures and these need to be sought by both the individual and Team Manager e.g. secondments, project work and training. How would the company ensure that there is fair access to such opportunities for everyone? Would there be access to training beyond that directly relevant to the matrix for the desk an individual happens to be on at the time? How will the company ensure staffing levels and work volumes permit employees to take advantage of opportunities without impacting KPIs?

It is recommended that the individual collate complimentary E-mails, letters etc (e.g. documents / results of projects) should these be requested as evidence. There is not a clear direction that managers will allow employees the time away from work to collate this information.

Will managers working part time, with multiple teams or running desks across several sites be able to cope with the workload? Will employees be disadvantaged as a result?

RISE+ link to salary

Within RISE+ there are defined salary bandings within the account framework and should the employee fall within these bandings they should be rewarded appropriately. It prompts many questions:

1. Where an employee’s current salary is higher than the scale for their level, their (low) levelling would be recognised but salary will not be reduced. Does this mean the employee will not get a rise in salary until their performance improves taking them into a higher banding?
2. Should an employee performance be at the top of the bandings for their grade for some time, does this mean the employee will not get a rise in salary until they obtain a role at a higher role code?
3. Should an employee’s performance start to decline, does this also mean the employee will not get a rise in salary?
4. With the implementation of cross-skilling between accounts, what happens to Rise+ levelling and salary when moving between desks with or without a change in role code?
5. How will the pay levels compare with the current scales, and will they be published?
6. Where people move sideways (e.g. to another desk), their level would be reassessed but their salary protected. However, would this mean they wouldn’t get a pay rise? This contrasts unfavourably with the agreements UNITE has reached with the company over the D1-4 scheme in Manchester.

There were some suggestions during a recent meeting that there would be a bonus scheme to reward employees should they fall into the situation described in 1 and 2. It is unclear if this would be as well as the current bonus scheme and would this be subject to current bonus scheme sick/disciplinary restrictions. In the case of situation 3 what guarantee is there that this will not happen? In any case, a bonus is no substitute for adequate basic pay.

Views

Please take a look at the documents for yourself and give your views and questions. A proper job, development and pay structure would be a good thing, but we have to make sure it is right, that employees understand it and that it is implemented fairly.

Manchester: Extraordinary General Meeting

There will be an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) for all UNITE members in the Manchester bargaining unit:

2pm-3:30pm, Friday 17th October
MAN35, ground floor, West wing

All members are entitled to attend in work time, but if your manager might need to arrange cover, you should ask them to confirm your release now. If you experience any difficulties with release, please contact your rep in good time. Leaving it to the last minute will make it impossible for your reps to help you.

The proposed agenda is:

· Discussion of reports from Reps (including NHS redundancies, Out Of Hours harmonisation, Learning, Safety, Environment and Equality)
· Pay (including progress so far, results from the pay survey, pay and benefit scales, discussion on the proposed new pay and job structure for Customer Services, and deciding on a pay claim)
· Changing the UNITE structure at Fujitsu Manchester
· Elections for Reps

This is an important meeting – please make sure you come along and have your say, and encourage colleagues to do the same.

Elections

The current representatives for the Manchester bargaining unit are listed on our website. Full elections will take place at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March, but in the meantime UNITE would like to strengthen the team by electing some new reps.

A stronger team of reps makes the union more effective in all our work and allows better communication between members, reps and the company.

Please consider nominating a colleague or standing yourself.

In order that elections can be properly organised, your reps are asking members to stand or nominate colleagues by the end of Wednesday 15th October.

We can elect:

* Workplace Representatives: who deal with most of our individual and collective issues. Workplace Reps are recognised by the law and by Fujitsu and get work time off for training and to carry out their duties.
* Health & Safety Representatives: who specialise in issues affecting our health, safety and welfare. H&S Reps are recognised by the law and by Fujitsu and get work time off for training and to carry out their duties. We could do with more H&S reps from different areas around the site and particularly more women.
* Union Learning Representatives: who specialise in learning, skills and development issues. ULRs are recognised by the law any by Fujitsu and get work time off for training and to carry out their duties.
* Equality Representatives: who specialise in equality issues. This is a new role and Equality Reps are not yet recognised by the law or the company, but Fujitsu has committed to discussing their introduction with UNITE. If you want to stand as an Equality Rep it may be worth considering standing as a Workplace Rep as well so that you are recognised in the meantime.
* Environmental Representatives: who specialise in environmental issues. This is a new role and Environmental Reps are not yet recognised by the law or the company. If you want to stand as an Environmental Rep is may be worth considering standing as a Health & Safety Rep as well so that you are recognised in the meantime.

All the reps together form the reps committee overseeing the work of the group, so it is important you have confidence in all the representatives you elect.

If you wish to volunteer or nominate someone else, please do so by the end of Wednesday 15th October:

1) The member making the nomination needs to send us an email saying who they are nominating and for which position(s) (i.e. Workplace Rep, Health & Safety Rep, Union Learning Rep, Equality Rep or Environmental Rep).

2) The nominee / volunteer needs to send an email including some information:

a) Which position(s) they are standing for (i.e. Workplace Rep, Health & Safety Rep, Union Learning Rep, Equality Rep or Environmental Rep)
b) Name
c) Work phone numbers - internal & external
d) Site and area (e.g. MAN35-2-East)
e) Department (e.g. Sirius)
f) Optionally, a statement of NO MORE THAN 100 WORDS which would encourage people to vote for you. [Previous examples are available on request]

Note that only UNITE members in scope of the Manchester agreements can stand in these elections. Of course, members elsewhere can hold their own meetings to elect representatives – the list of reps from around the company is on CafeVIK.