HP UK workers to vote on industrial action

Unite launches industrial ballot

The largest union in the UK, Unite, has begun a ballot over industrial action among 150 customer engineers and support specialists at IT giant HP.

The union has served seven days notice to the company and the ballot will begin on 28 October. The result is expected to be released by mid November.

According to Unite, the staff involved are angry with the company for removing pay and pension benefits, including a performance bonus scheme worth up to £2,000 as well as a final salary pension scheme.

A consultative ballot earlier this month saw the workers vote overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action. The staff involved are home based and operate across the UK.

Unite national officer Peter Skyte said: "Our members face cuts to their pay and pensions and have no choice but to begin an industrial action ballot. This is the latest in a series of attacks by the company on our members' pay and conditions, while senior executives and shareholders do very well indeed."

He added: "Unite remains willing to seek a resolution to this dispute - but not on the basis that one employee’s pay cut results in a HP executive’s pay and bonus increase.”

This is the first industrial action ballot in HP’s UK history. The supplier employs about 18,000 people in the UK. In January, Unite led a demonstration of employees of HP and EDS outside company offices across Europe in protest at plans to cut 3,400 staff following the merger of the two suppliers.