HP Staff Go On Strike English HP Branch Goes On One-Day Strike Over Pay Freezes, Lay-Offs

Over 1,000 employees at HP's Enterprise Services branches went on strike
last week in England. The employees are represented by the Public and
Commercial Services Union (PCS), and the strike took place after talks
between HP and the PCS to avoid such a strike (or a strike action, as
they call them in the UK).
HP acquired Electronic Data Systems (EDS), the UK company that would
become HP Enterprise Services in 2008. Since HP acquired the company,
3,400 jobs have been laid off and another 1,000 job cuts are scheduled
for 2010. In addition to the
layoffs, employees are upset over a pay freeze that is in place for
2009 and 2010.
HP Enterprise Services employees are mainly contract workers for the
English government's Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of
Defence and the private-sector General Motors.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said in a statement Strike action
is not a step that our members take lightly. They have worked hard to
help the company deliver fourth-quarter revenues of $30,800,000,000, yet
have been slapped in the face with job losses and a pay freeze for two
years running. That $30 billion was HP's total revenue from their total
worldwide operations, including computer sales.
HP says that talks broke down after they made a reasonable offer to
the union, which they rejected and called a strike action without a
counter-offer. HP and PCS are currently in talks to avoid another strike
action.
Last November, engineers from the same HP Enterprise Services division
went on strike after HP cut their pay and pension benefits.