Monday 11 July 2011

Bombardier, Southampton and Fujitsu

Three important campaigns that deserve everyone's support.

UNITE members building trains at Bombardier in Derby are campaigning to save their jobs. There's a petition on the union web site.

UNITE and UNISON members at Southampton Council have been striking for weeks against brutal cuts which the council is seeking to impose by dismissing the workforce and re-engaging them on new contracts. I've posted the details on how to support them before.

Fujitsu, my employer, has escalated the dispute that led to members in Crewe striking on 30th June and taking ongoing action short of strike. Today they dismissed leading UNITE rep Alan Jenney as "redundant", even though this was readily avoidable and totally in breach of agreements and past practice. It is increasingly apparent that this is part of a wider attack on the union, with the company breaking a wide range of agreements. Manchester members are now being balloted too, with the ballot due to close on 4th August. Updates are posted on www.ourunion.org.uk/news and an appeal for support leaflet is regularly updated on www.ourunion.org.uk where you will also find a collection sheet.



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find it quite disgraceful that you criticise your organisation so publicly. Think of the damage you are doing to your company. You only have to take a look at the wider world and see serial tweeters like Joey Barton criticising their employers in public. If you dont like it - LEAVE! But do not damage the reputation of the people who pay your wages in public and make tarnish their image which actually only makes things worse for your fellow workers. You are lucky to have a job and should respect that.

Ian said...

@Anonymous
I think it's people who do wrong who tarnish their image, not those who speak out against it.

I don't share your view that it's immoral to speak out against injustice. Neither do I think the correct response is always to run away from problems rather than trying to put them right.

Thank goodness so few people display such a total lack of morals and courage - if that was widespread the world would be an even more terrible place.