Fujitsu workers win pay rise, strikes go ahead

PUBLIC SERVICE WORKERS at Fujitsu are celebrating success, having had their demands for higher wages realised, however some are still striking at plants across the UK.

According to the Public and Commercial Service (PCS) Union a pay deal made last Friday saw Fujitsu increase the wages it is offering workers. The PCS union said that the company had added £500,000 to the pot and given workers a raise twice the rate of inflation.

Affected Fujitus workers are employed in contracts for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Revenue and Customs, Home Office, Ministry of Defence and the Office of National Statistics. If the pay increase had not been agreed 720 affected workers would have gone on strike.

A separate action planned by the Unite union has gone ahead and the PCS union said that it would support its peers here. The action, which our sister IT news web site V3.co.uk reported, is over different issues, including staff mistreatment.

"This is a major deal for these private sector workers, particularly the lowest paid, who do essential work supporting our public services," said PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka.

"This shows clearly what can be achieved when working people stand together, and that the private sector is far from a no-go area for unions like ours. While we have called off our strike, we send solidarity and support to members in Unite and call on the company to sit down with their representatives to resolve the issues."

The PCS union has sent a delegation in support of the Unite action that is taking place in Manchester and Crewe. According to the V3.co.uk report around 400 workers are striking over the firm's refusal to meet with them and discuss terms.

"Our members in Manchester have fought long and hard, over many years, to get agreements on union recognition, redeployment and redundancy, pay and benefits and the company is now arbitrarily choosing break them - they have said enough," said Kevin O'Gallagher, Unite national officer as the union prepared for the action.

"Fujitsu haven't been straight with us," said one striking worker today "They have broken a number of promises, and people just want to be treated fairly. It would be very easy for them to sort this out if they did what they promised to begin with."

The union expressed disappointment that the action had to go ahead. µ