Italian EDS unions already hold industrial actions (sept 22nd)

COMUNICATO STAMPA

Eds Italia. Calitri (Fiom): “Primo risultato dell’azione sindacale: un incontro con l’Azienda fissato per il 6 ottobre”. Oggi sciopero oltre il 90% e manifestazione nazionale a Roma

“Il grande successo dello sciopero odierno dimostra quanto sia profonda la preoccupazione diffusa tra i lavoratori di Eds Italia per il proprio futuro, e quanto sia stata forte la motivazione che li ha portati ad aderire all’iniziativa di lotta assunta oggi dai sindacati dei metalmeccanici Fim, Fiom, Uilm.” Lo ha detto Canio Calitri, coordinatore nazionale Fiom-Cgil del gruppo Eds Italia.

“Secondo i dati in nostro possesso – ha spiegato Calitri – le adesioni allo sciopero di 8 ore proclamato per oggi hanno superato il 90%. Un risultato già alto di per sé e altissimo se si considera che questa cifra è stata raggiunta in un’impresa collocata in un settore come quello della Information and communication technology, in cui il sindacato non ha mai avuto uno dei suoi punti di forza.”

“Del resto - ha proseguito Calitri - la convinzione dei lavoratori nell’aderire all’iniziativa sindacale è stata ben visibile nella manifestazione che si è svolta oggi a Roma. Al corteo, che da piazza della Repubblica ha raggiunto piazza Barberini, hanno partecipato infatti oltre 1.000 lavoratori, ovvero circa il 50% dei metalmeccanici dipendenti dalla multinazionale Usa nel nostro Paese.”
“L’iniziativa di lotta – ha ricordato Calitri – è stata assunta per difendere l’occupazione dai tagli che sono stati annunciati da Hewlett Packard dopo l’acquisizione di Eds, e per protestare contro la disdetta degli accordi aziendali comunicata il mese scorso dal management di Eds Italia. Lo sciopero e la manifestazione odierni hanno già ottenuto un primo risultato. Una delegazione degli scioperanti è stata ricevuta al ministero dello Sviluppo Economico che ha fissato, per il 6 ottobre, un incontro con l’Azienda sulle sue prospettive produttive e occupazionali.”

Eds Italia conta circa 3.000 addetti, di cui 2.000 con il Contratto dei metalmeccanici. I siti produttivi dell’Azienda sono collocati a Roma, Pomezia, Pozzuoli, Bari, Torino, Milano e Siena. A fine agosto, Hp ha acquisito Eds formando una multinazionale del settore Ict forte di oltre 300mila addetti. L’Azienda ha però annunciato tagli occupazionali che, a livello globale, potrebbero raggiungere le 25mila unità.

Fiom-Cgil/Ufficio Stampa
Roma, 22 settembre 2008

9.300 job cuts announced at European WorkCouncil (HP + EDS)

HP said on Thursday that its Europe, Middle East and Africa division would account for up to 9,300 job cuts over two years out of 24,600 previously announced cuts following its purchase and integration of EDS. Country numbers should be known on Oct, 6th. EWC urge Management to think redeployment instead pure workforce reduction.

HP surprises Wall Street with size of EDS job cuts

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Extracts :

When Hewlett-Packard Co. announced five months ago it was acquiring technology-services firm Electronic Data Systems Corp., Wall Street expected big layoffs from the combined company.

But the size of the job cuts -- 24,600 jobs over the next three years, nearly 8 percent of HP's 320,000-employee work force -- came as a shock when HP laid out its plans Monday for integrating EDS.

"Today's story is kind of an eyebrow-raiser -- I was surprised at the magnitude of the cuts," said analyst Bob Djurdjevic with Annex Research.

The cuts represent HP's most aggressive cost-cutting move yet under Hurd, who engineered the $13.9 billion acquisition to challenge IBM Corp. for more of the lucrative, long-term business of helping companies manage their computing infrastructure.

Most of the cuts will come from within EDS's ranks, and nearly half will be jobs in the U.S., HP announced Monday after the stock market closed. HP said it plans to eventually add about half the positions back as different jobs in different departments within the company.

Some of the areas expected to get hit include the finance, human resources and legal departments, areas where there are traditionally overlapping duties within combined companies.

HP had not previously detailed how many employees of the combined company would lose their jobs. Before the acquisition, HP had 178,000 people and EDS had 142,000.

HP expects to save $1.8 billion per year from the cuts once the restructuring is complete. The company will incur a $1.7 billion charge in the current three-month period, its fiscal fourth quarter, for a goodwill adjustment and other costs connected to the restructuring.

At a conference with financial analysts Monday, HP Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak said the EDS deal is expected to add to HP's net profit in the 2010 fiscal year.

As huge as the reductions are, they're not the biggest in tech history.

One of the biggest challenges facing Hurd has been finding new ways to improve sales at a company that last year cracked $100 billion in revenue for the first time while keeping Wall Street happy with improving profit margins.

Hurd has been aggressive about cutting costs since he was hired in 2005. His first big act was a major restructuring that eliminated nearly 15,000 jobs.

European trade unions demand full information and consultation from HP in EDS takeover

Press release :
More than forty trade union representatives from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, UK, Italy and the Netherlands, met on 8 September to discuss the Hewlett-ackard (HP) takeover of Electronic Data Systems Corporation (EDS) at a meeting organised jointly the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF) and UNION NETWORK INTERNATIONAL (UNI).

Participants expressed concerns about the possible effects on employment and working conditions of the take over of EDS by HP. They also voiced discontent about the lack of information provided by both EDS and HP managements so far.

The meeting :
1) Called on HP management to ensure full and meaningful information and consultation with the trade union/employee representative bodies both at European and national levels prior to decision-making;
2) Expressed their opposition to any compulsory redundancies/layoffs;
3) Urged HP management to provide a detailed plan for redeployment and re-skilling of the existing workforce to fill current or anticipated skills shortages as an alternative to redundancies in the event of reorganisation.

UNI and the EMF will closely monitor the impact on the workforce of any proposals expected to be announced by HP management on 15 September and with affiliated trade unions take all possible steps to safeguard the interest of the workers.
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The EMF is the representative body defending the interests of workers in the European metal industry. The EMF has a mandate for the external representation and coordination of the metalworkers' unions and a mandate to engage in bargaining at European level.

For further information please contact:Editor, Peter Scherrer, EMF General SecretaryIsabelle Barthès, EMF Advisor on Company Policy + 32 2 2271057UNI Head Office, Avenue Reverdil 8-10, CH- 1260 NYON, Tel: + 41 22 365 2100
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