United_Digital1_8:Activist issue 7 12/06/2009 13:22 Page 5
united digital top stories
5
Monarch flight strike vote
Age landmark
appeal win
Images
Unite won a landmark judgment from the
court of appeal on age discrimination in May,
which means millions of older workers’ jobs
ess Association
are now safer.
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A Unite succeeded in securing the ruling against
engineering giant Rolls Royce – in one of the
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Monarch grounded? Strike vote will decide
first cases on age discrimination ever to be
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considered by the higher courts.
Monarch, the UK's third largest tour operator, put forward proposals to allow a deferral of
could well be facing the prospect of a any pay increases for the 2008-9 period in
The ruling suggests employers can consider
crippling strike at the height of the holiday return for a lump sum payment – which
length of service as a factor when selecting
season. competitors are already discussing with Unite.
redundancy candidates. It follows an attempt
by Rolls Royce to remove long service from its
As we go to press Unite is preparing to ballot But Monarch has shown no desire for further
job security agreement with Unite after age
over 600 cabin crew members over the talks, leaving Unite no alternative but to ballot
discrimination rules came into force in 2006.
company's failure to agree a pay increase this members.
year for cabin crew.
But the court upheld Unite’s resistance to
Unite national officer, Brian Boyd, said, “The
Rolls Royce’s earlier appeal to the high court
A vote for action will mean company-wide requests of our members are reasonable and
decision. This decision declared the use of
strikes in July, affecting Monarch's bases at represent a practical compromise given the
length of service as one of a number of
Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, prevailing circumstances.
redundancy selection criteria was not age
Luton and Dublin.
discrimination.
“Unite is urging Monarch to come back to the
Unite accepts that the economic downturn negotiating table and work with us to avert
Unite joint general secretary Derek
has hit the civil aviation industry hard, and has damaging industrial action.”
Simpson was delighted with the final
outcome. He said, “The ruling sets a precedent,
where other factors are equal, for protecting
HP jobs axe slam
older workers from the effects of redundancy.
It has always been clear to Unite that loyalty
seen in length of service should be recognised
when an employer takes the drastic step of
making redundancy dismissals.”
Unite slammed governments in Westminster relocated to the Czech Republic.
and Holyrood following Hewlett Packard’s
(HP) announcement in May to axe 850 jobs at The global computer giant recently announced
.uk
its Renfrewshire plant. that it would cut its global workforce of over
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320,000 by two per cent, in addition to
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Hewlett Packard staff were given the previously imposing a five per cent pay cut
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devastating news and told that production of across all operations. This is despite a profit of
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storage devices and servers are to be £1.1bn in the last economic quarter.
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Some 1,300 people are employed at the
Renfrewshire plant. But after cuts only 500
technical and administrative workers are
expected to remain beyond 2010.
Unite Scottish regional secretary, John
Quigley, said, “Unite has thrown the spotlight
on the need for urgent, clear assistance to
.
uk
defend manufacturing jobs.
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epor “By ignoring manufacturing, we are staring into
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a skills and prosperity abyss. It is now up to
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those in power who have neglected this sector
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for so long to wake-up before it is too late.”
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