News

ICL engineers refuse to sign new jobs contracts - Computer Weekly article, 22nd November 2001.

Fujitsu (ICL) Faces Revolt from Engineers Over New Contracts

Amicus (formally MSF) Press Release - August 2001

Fujitsu is this week facing the prospect of a revolt from its 900 strong ICL UK mobile engineering workforce as the company announces details of a new contract of employment involving mandatory weekend working and cuts in take-home pay.

The company is proposing to harmonise a number of existing contracts but in the process leaving substantial numbers of employees worse off.

Key changes proposed include:

Core working hours extended to 8pm at night including Saturdays

Mandatory weekend working on Saturdays with no safeguards about the frequency of such working

Lack of guaranteed successive rest days in each week

Mandatory on-call

Reductions in payments for working additional hours

Peter Skyte, National Secretary of the MSF union which represents the engineers said:

"The engineers are in principle willing to consider changes to existing contracts of employment and to work in a different way to reflect the climate in which the company operates. The changes proposed however do not provide sufficient safeguards and many engineers will be thousands of pounds worse off and stand to have their home and social life disrupted. Our feedback is that engineers are reluctant to sign up to new terms without changes and the company should think again."

Wednesday 10 March, 2010