Two and a half days of pay talks have now taken place, and progress is being made. Your reps anticipate receiving an initial “firm offer” from the company in the next day or so.
Don’t forget today’s lunchtime sessions to report back on the talks:
· Tuesday 27th January, 33GCR1. Sessions 12-1pm and 1-2pm. Report on negotiations. Focus on proposals on promotion & progression. Open to all employees.
The pay claim itself is included in the most recent UNITE “one per desk” newsletter, while another document outlines UNITE’s draft proposals on promotion and pay progression.
Please come along so that you are well informed when you are asked to take a decision on the company’s pay offer. Your reps are keen to report on the progress of talks and get your feedback.
Why not bring your workmates along – whether they are UNITE members or not?
Feel free to bring your lunch – these will be informal sessions.
Pay talks for the Manchester bargaining unit start today, in response to the claim UNITE submitted on behalf of employees in October.
A new UNITE “one per desk” newsletter, focussing on pay, has begun to be distributed across the site. If you can help hand it out in an area or two, please contact Rep Phil Tepper.
UNITE has published two key documents on CafeVIK for feedback:
Please take a look. There will also be opportunities to discuss these at the events UNITE is organising over the next few weeks:
· Friday 23rd January, 34GCR2. Sessions 12-1pm and 1-2pm. Workshop on talking to your manager about objectives, appraisals, promotion, pay and benefits. Strictly UNITE members only, as the company’s 2009 pay and benefit guidelines will be part of the discussion.
· Tuesday 27th January, 33GCR1. Sessions 12-1pm and 1-2pm. Report on negotiations. Focus on proposals on promotion & progression. Open to all employees.
· Monday 2nd February, 35GCR2. Sessions 12-1pm and 1-2pm. Report on negotiations. Focus on new Rise+ job and pay structure for helpdesks. Open to all employees.
· Wednesday 18th February, 34GCR2. Sessions 12-1pm and 1-2pm. Report on negotiations. Open to all employees.
Please come along, ask questions, and give your views.
As well as taking part in these sessions yourself, you can help with the pay campaign by encouraging colleagues to do so too. You can ask colleagues their views on the pay claim, encourage them to wear their passes on the pay campaign lanyards (available from your reps), or ask them to join the union.
Over the last week, Fujitsu has briefed UNITE and three small groups of staff at Central Park about their intention to reduce the numbers of jobs, and that this could potentially lead to redundancies. The areas affected are the support teams for VME, AS400 and IBM Managed Service and the reasons given are to do with declining workload rather than the recession or any other factor with wider implications. There are also people affected at other locations.
At the EGM on 4th December, members agreed a motion about dealing with job losses, updating our approach in the light of the deteriorating economic situation. The motion included:
Accordingly, here is an overview of the situation in respect of the Manchester bargaining unit:
| Job reduction initiative | Units affected | Number of jobs at risk | Number on Redeployment Warning Periods | Number on redundancy consultation |
| VME Support | IS and AS | 4 out of 21 (13 in bargaining unit) | 0 | 0 |
| IBM Managed Service | IS | 3 out of 11 (2 in bargaining unit) | 0 | 0 |
| AS400 support | IS | 2 out of 3 | 0 | 0 |
We anticipate the company starting Redeployment Warning Periods for all three areas shortly. Until the letters are issued, the numbers above are not definitive.
In addition there are two individuals whose jobs the company put at risk, one from CGBU and one from IS Governance.
UNITE reps sat in on the briefings for affected staff in the bargaining unit, and met with them immediately afterwards. Reps are organising a follow-up meeting with them this week.
With the assistance of UNITE reps, the AS400 team members have already agreed which of them should take an alternative job made available by the company. Speedy voluntary redeployment is surely the best outcome for everyone.
UNITE reps are concerned that the decline in workload that has led to these job losses is neither sudden nor unexpected, yet management seem to be under time pressure to deal with the situation by the end of the financial year. It would be unacceptable if members ended up losing their jobs because management’s failure to plan ahead limited the time for redeployment.
Our newsletter on 6th January highlighted the progress made on the Manchester pay claim, but also raised concerns about the company’s slow response.
Perhaps this contributed to the company finally responding to our proposed timetable for the pay review. Talks dates have now been agreed, starting on 21st January. This is later than your reps would have hoped, but the company has informed us that agreement can be reached later than we expected without impacting on implementation for the April payroll.
Reps are still awaiting responses on a number of other key points.
Many thanks to the member who pointed out the availability of extra funds for our pay review this year. The most recent company accounts show that the highest paid director of Fujitsu Services got a package worth £2.3m. One can only presume this was the recently-departed David Courtley. Richard Christou has made clear that he does not intend to appoint a replacement for David for some time. If this saving was shared out amongst the employees the company can’t do without – those who actually do the work – this would equate to around £100 for each of the 20,000+ employees.
Members should be alert for any changes to their Professional Community “role codes”. Changes are often presented by the company as purely administrative or as helpful to career development. Of course there is often some truth in this. But the company’s pay and benefit system is also based on your role code. A different “peer group” means a different pay median which is likely to mean a different outcome to your pay review.
Back in 2003, when the company broke up the old “Engineering” Professional Community, this caused massive problems, with people effectively being demoted without their knowledge. More recently, members have been concerned about the introduction of new roles in Test and Validation and Service Introduction. If you want to protect your future pay progression, you need to make sure you really understand and are happy with any proposed changes. It’s better to seek advice from your UNITE reps at an early stage – trying to get problems corrected a year or two down the line is much harder than doing it right first time.
Reps have been in discussion with the Company about proposed new rules on the reporting of sickness absence to be introduced within a number of Core Services Capability Units, including Business Consulting, Solutions Group and P&PM. The announcement of the new rules prompted a number of members to contact reps, who were able to ensure nobody was penalised under them while the concerns were discussed.
Some of the proposals seemed to make good sense, particularly for assignment workers, for example the requirement to ring Business Services (rather than line manager and/or assignment manager) on the first morning of absence, however reps expressed concerns about three particular aspects of the proposals. It’s worth noting that similar rules have long been established within Customer Services, which illustrates the importance for all staff of taking an interest in what goes on in the helpdesks.
Reps raised three main concerns, which were that the proposals :
1. could be read to imply people had to use them when absent for reasons other than sickness, e.g. compassionate leave. We said this would be quite wrong, the Company agreed and amended the process to make it clear it applied only to sickness absence.
2. included a requirement for people to keep their mobile phones switched on while on sick leave. Reps objected on the basis that the last thing people off sick needed was for their recovery to be interrupted by a flow of phone calls. The Company explained that it was important for the manager to be able to contact the sick employee from time to time, but agreed to replace the requirement to keep phones switched on by the requirement to provide a preferred contact number.
3. included a requirement for people to call in on the second and subsequent days of absence when not covered by a doctor’s note. Reps argued that this requirement was intrusive and redundant on days when the employee was not expected in work, particularly as the process reasonably requires the sick employee, when calling in on the first day, to provide an estimate of how long they’re likely to be off. The Company acknowledged our concern but insisted on retaining this requirement.
Our union recognition agreement includes a procedure for formally resolving collective issues. Your reps have informed the company that we will be consulting our members on whether to take our disagreement over proposal 3 into formal procedure. In addition we would like your views on whether proposal 2 is now acceptable or whether you think the wording gives insufficient clear safeguards against management contacting people inappropriately.
We have published the latest Company proposals here for you to read. One of the zipped documents is the proposed Sickness Reporting Procedure and the other is an explanatory note to be sent by the Company to all employees in the relevant capability units. You’ll need to use the password “draftonly” (without the double quotes) to access the documents.
The importance of challenging suspect new policies should not be understated. Within CS, employees have been threatened with disciplinary action for failing to call in on their second day of sick leave.
Please read the proposals and give your views.
The TUC has calculated that over five million people worked unpaid overtime last year. That’s work beyond their contracted hours, for which they aren’t being paid, but which is worth £26.9 billion.
There are many reasons for overtime. For example problems come up, plans go wrong, unforeseen events happen. Everyone pitches in and gets the job done. However, there are other reasons for people working long hours. In some places a culture of excessive working is not just allowed, but actively promoted. People are pressured into working extra hours for free, or ‘encouraged’ not to let the team down. Strangely enough, the team’s reward for their efforts is often no more than another request to work longer.
Working excessive hours doesn’t just affect your wages. Doing it for a short time can be acceptable, but continuing for a long period can damage your health. People get burnt out, and can make more mistakes. Family and social life suffer. And if you’re working these extra hours unpaid, you’re not even receiving financial compensation. In a situation where unemployment is rising, does it really make sense for some of us to be working too much, while others can’t work at all?
Does it make sense for some of us to be working all hours while others get stressed on “the bench”? It’s common for people to grumble about not getting paid for the work they do, but would you pay someone to do some work if you could get it done for free?
Are you working for free? Are you being pressured into working additional hours? You don’t have to do it. Contact your rep for advice.
Last week there were at least two accidents resulting in injury at Central Park caused by the icy conditions. One involved a vehicle, the other a pedestrian. Almost everyone seemed to be slipping and sliding.
At least one hazard report had been raised on this issue before Xmas, and UNITE had reported on it in the newsletter of 18th December. Sadly, this did not result in the company taking action which was effective in preventing the accidents.
For every death at work there are a larger number of injuries, and for every injury there are a larger number of near misses or dangerous occurrences. Health & Safety problems are like a pyramid with the most serious at the top – tackling the less serious matters effectively reduces the size of the whole pyramid and helps avoid deaths and serious injuries.
The key to improving the health and safety of people working here is for all of us to play a part by reporting hazards, dangerous occurrences and accidents, as well as using 7733 to get routine maintenance issues dealt with.
Because we have union recognition, staff at Central Park have the advantage of elected and properly trained Health & Safety Reps who are independent of the company. Your safety reps can assist you in raising concerns with the company, so please keep them informed. In addition, safety reps have the power under the 1977 Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations “to investigate potential hazards and dangerous occurrences at the workplace (whether or not they are drawn to his attention by the employees he represents) and to examine the causes of accidents at the workplace”. Following an investigation by one of our Health & Safety reps, a report on last week’s accidents has been submitted to the company. This found that the gritting had not been effective. The company is using the UNITE report as input to their own investigation and we look forward to their response.
UNITE has members in various companies involved in the National Identity Scheme Programme (often known as the ID cards scheme, though it is wider than that) under the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). Late last year, the Times covered a leak of the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which companies working on the scheme are required to sign, and which raises serious concerns for employees.
The companies would appear to be giving the Home Office the right to enter and search employees’ homes for up to 25 years after working on the contract. One would expect the ID scheme to have stringent measures to protect against data loss, but one would also expect consultation with employees about those measures and for everyone involved to understand the impact of those measures on them.
A UNITE member on the company’s UK Consultative Forum (UKCF) asked about how this affected Fujitsu staff.
Fujitsu said it had not yet won any business through the IPS contract, but this could change depending on the outcome of our bid. At this stage the company has not consulted employees about the implications for them, nor asked individuals to sign NDAs.
Individuals presented with a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) or similar legal documents should ensure they fully understand and agree with them before signing, and seek advice if necessary.
In light of the current economic climate, the company think it is very unlikely that MAN35 will be sub-let as planned. This means that rather than gradually emptying the building out, the company is starting to “re-balance” the three Manchester Campus buildings in terms of the percentage of vacant space and is starting to move more people into MAN35.
It will be important to ensure that if the population rises significantly, the facilities which are now closed are re-opened.
Are you looking to improve your chances of promotion or just looking to improve your skills?
Why not sign up for an E course on Knowledge Net.
Not sure what course is suitable?
Then speak to one of the Learning Reps for advice.
Do work commitments restrict your time to learn?
Then request time out from your manager for your personal development.
Do you get distracted when working at your desk?
Then why not book a session in the learning pod situated in MAN35, 1st Floor, East Wing or the learning pod situated in MAN34 Ground Floor East Wing.
If you want to learn, then do something about it .
Why not contact one of your Learning Reps for Information, Advice and Guidance? Contact us and make that job you dream of, become reality.
In 2008, UNITE members at Fujitsu Manchester elected Equality Reps for the first time, as part of the union’s efforts to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect. Our Equality Reps have produced this short introduction to the subject and their role.
What is equality?
Many people are unaware what equality stands for and how it affects every single one of us. For example, people are sometimes unaware that they are bullying others in the workplace or in fact that they are themselves being bullied.
Below is an explanation of what equality means:
Every worker should be entitled to equality of opportunity and to make the best use of their skills and talents regardless of their age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, identity, ethnic or national origin, marital status or religion.
Discrimination happens when an employer treats one employee less favourably (equally) than others. In this country there are laws against discrimination because of gender, marital status, gender reassignment, pregnancy, sexual orientation, disability, race, colour, ethnic background, nationality, religion or belief, age, trade union membership and trade union activity.
Direct discrimination: When an individual is treated less favourably than another because of, for example, their gender or race (so it would be direct discrimination if a driving job was only open to male applicants). There is no defence for direct discrimination.
Indirect discrimination: When a condition that disadvantages one group of people more than another is applied, unless it can be objectively justified. For example, saying that applicants for a job must be clean-shaven puts members of some religious groups at a disadvantage. However the law does allow employers to discriminate indirectly if they can show a good reason for having the condition. For example, the condition that applicants must be clean shaven might be justified if the job involved handling food and if it could be shown that having a beard or moustache was a genuine hygiene risk.
Harassment: Unwanted conduct that violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. Victimisation means treating somebody less favourably than others because they tried to make a complaint (e.g. of discrimination).
Bullying: This is not just an issue in childhood. At least 1 in 4 of us will be bullied at some point during our working lives. "Bullying at work is rarely about blatant physical violence but it is psychological violence. It is a subtle and hidden process typified by small events and persistent harassment." [Anti-bullying campaigner Matt Witheridge, speaking at an Amicus TUC fringe meeting].
One definition of bullying is:
Persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating or insulting behaviour, abuse of power or unfair penal sanctions which makes the recipient feel upset, threatened, humiliated or vulnerable, which undermines their self-confidence and which may cause them to suffer stress.
Age Discrimination: Regulations came into force on 1 October 2006 and it is now unlawful for employers to discriminate against someone at work on the basis of their age, unless it can be objectively justified.
Policies: Fujitsu Services does have a Harassment Policy, an Equal Opportunities Policy, and a Valuing Diversity & Inclusion Policy, all of which are available from the Human Resources community on Cafe VIK, and there are other policies which cover equality in other areas.
In addition, staff in the UNITE Manchester bargaining unit benefit from the Equal Opportunities section of our recognition agreement, which goes further than the standard company policies.
Equality Reps: Developing fairness and equality in the workplace are key priorities for UNITE. Equality Reps campaign for equality and dignity at work and keep members informed about equality issues and legislation. Equality Reps receive fully accredited training from the union. Currently we have two Equality Reps here – Isabel Hay and Teresa Meyer. If you have any questions for them, or are interested in becoming an equality rep, please get in touch.
What to do if you feel you are being discriminated against: Seek immediate support and advice from your Equality Reps. Keep a record of all incidents which are relevant - log dates and details and write down your feelings after each occurrence together with your own response.
For more information on equalities and the networks available to union members, see the Equalities section of the union website at http://www.amicustheunion.org/Default.aspx?page=39.
Most members will be familiar with the case of Karen Reissmann, the Manchester nurse and UNISON union activist who was sacked for speaking out in defence of the NHS. Karen and her branch gave us magnificent support during our own dispute and we have done our best to return this.
The specific incident that led to her dismissal was an interview in a specialist health publication where she questioned the decision of her trust to outsource care for some of the most vulnerable patients to a “voluntary sector” organisation. She pointed out that their salaries, pensions etc were worse than in the NHS and that this would make it difficult for them to recruit staff with the skills and experience necessary. Her employer believed that her actions, rather than the underlying issues she was highlighting, brought both organisations into disrepute.
Shortly before Xmas, the trust brought the work back in house after a series of incidents (including a killing) showed that the service provided by the voluntary sector organisation was not safe. Many campaigners believe this vindicates the stand Karen took and show that her employer should have listened to the union’s warnings, rather than victimising Karen for speaking out.
The campaign for Karen’s reinstatement and to defend the rights to free speech for NHS staff and union reps continues. Karen’s hearing at the Employment Tribunal will be for one week from 26th January.
Unfortunately UNISON has decided not to fund Karen’s court case. A solicitor is providing services free of charge, but the campaign is having to raise £19,000 in barrister’s fees to avoid Karen having to foot the bill herself.
If you want to support the campaign you can:
The 2009 UNITE diaries have been distributed to everyone who ordered one, and we have a few spares. If you would like one, please get in touch. Requests from members will be dealt with on a first-come-first-served basis.
The next meeting of UNITE’s Greater Manchester IT Branch is:
5:30-7pm, Thursday 8th January
Conference room 34GCR2, MAN34, Fujitsu Central Park
All branch members are encouraged to attend.
The situation in Gaza is truly horrific and has led to demonstrations and protests all round the world. UNITE is affiliated to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
A second national demonstration is being held in London on Saturday 10th January. Details, including transport, are available online.
Here in Manchester there was also a large demonstration on Saturday, and a vigil is being held outside the BBC on Oxford Road from 5pm each day.
As reported in our newsletter on 18th December, the company has decided to implement a couple of the ideas in our pay claim, which is very welcome. The company has identified its negotiating team as Larry Upton (Employee Relations HR), George Allt (AS), Richard Batty (CS) and Kelly Metcalf (IS HR).
However, UNITE reps are becoming increasingly concerned at the slow pace with which the company is dealing with the April 2009 pay review for Manchester staff. The company has yet to respond to the claim itself, which was submitted on 17th October, or to provide the information necessary to inform the bargaining process, much of which is many months overdue. UNITE proposed a timetable for talks and implementation on 5th December, but the company has yet to respond.
It appears that the company is either failing to give employees’ pay the priority it deserves, or is deliberately trying to delay the process, as in the past.
UNITE has raised these concerns with the company, and has been assured that responses are imminent. It remains to be seen whether these assurances are more reliable than previous ones.
Your reps are discussing what steps to take if there is not significant progress in the next few days. In the meantime, you can help build up the campaign to put pressure on the company by: