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HP job cuts fight
Unite pledged to fight for up to 1,600 IT jobs when industry giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced in May it wanted to cut 27,000 jobs worldwide by the end of 2014. Unite believes HP, the world’s largest PC maker, plans to slash up to eight per cent of the UK’s 20,000 strong workforce – and Unite will be using every means possible to protect those jobs. “We hope to arrange meetings with the senior management, both in the UK and with the global business leaders, as soon as possible to set out our alternatives,” said Unite national officer, Kevin O’Gallagher.
IRELAND Austerity treaty passed out of fear
Unite campaigned against the recent austerity treaty referendum in the Re- public of Ireland and said that people were ‘beaten’ into voting yes by the threatening of the electorate by the government. Unite Ireland regional secretary, Jimmy Kelly, said, “Unite campaigned against the referendum in keeping with our consistent stance that austerity is strangling the econ- omy, preventing growth and embed- ding long term unemployment.
“We regret the passing of the vote but 10 uniteWORKS July/August 2012
will now stand up for all working peo- ple and those deprived of the ability to find employment, in holding the government to account for the state- ments on jobs and prosperity which they made during the campaign.” The immediate post vote fallout was not good for the government with each of the German Finance Min- istry, the European Central Bank and the German Chancellor slapping down any suggestion that a deal on Ireland’s bank debt restructuring might be forthcoming.
AEROSPACE Hammond – ‘get a grip’
Enough says Brough – more BAE UK-wide cuts announced
Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, bad news hit BAE Systems workers in May, when the defence giant announced plans to axe over 600 more jobs.
Unite said the government’s lack of a defence industry strategy had contributed to news, and was a wake- up call to defence secretary Philip Hammond to formulate a coherent procurement strategy to safeguard the future viability of the sector.
Jobs will go at BAE’s sites in
Newcastle, Crewe, Pontypool, Washington, and Farnborough. Unite national officer Ian Waddell said, “Philip Hammond needs to get a grip of defence procurement policy and provide a blueprint to safeguard future jobs and skills for this industry.
“The BAE Vehicles job losses demonstrate what happens when there is no plan and no visibility. It creates a culture of short-termism and leads directly to the dire job losses announced.”
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