Wednesday 24 January 2018

Reinstate Ian Allinson statement

A "Reinstate Ian Allinson - Stop victimisation of union reps" statement has been launched to put pressure on Fujitsu over my dismissal and build solidarity for the wider Fujitsu dispute.

I've copied the text of the statement below. The statement with signatories is here, along with how to add your support.

Reinstate Ian Allinson - Stop victimisation of union reps

On 12 January Fujitsu dismissed Ian Allinson, chair of Unite in Fujitsu UK, under the pretext of redundancy. Ian was part of a tiny fake redundancy pool where the company said all the jobs would go.

While Ian was on compassionate leave for a family funeral Fujitsu wrote to tell him he would be dismissed later that week. Fujitsu refused to allow him to work his notice, despite not yet having responded to his application for a job they encouraged him to apply for, breaking previous promises. This is not the first time Fujitsu has tried to victimise Ian, and Ian is not the only rep they have targeted.

Unite members at Fujitsu Manchester have voted to take strike action over the victimisation of reps, compulsory redundancies and breaches of redundancy agreements. Fujitsu denies breaking the agreements on the grounds that they are “almost entirely voluntary” - a worrying sign of its future intentions. Fujitsu’s aggressive approach is shown by their threat to withhold bonuses, often worth up to 20% of annual income, from anyone who strikes.

Victimisation of any union activist is an attack on the movement as a whole. When the activist is well known the outcome can influence the behaviour of other employers and the confidence of members to be active. We note that around half Fujitsu’s UK business is from the public sector and welcome the commitment that a Labour government would only award public contracts to companies that recognise trade unions, and have “high standards” on issues including workers’ rights. We applaud Unite’s record in defending activists, including the successful use of leverage campaigns as at Honda and Crossrail and expect Unite to leave no stone unturned in this case.

We call on Fujitsu to reinstate Ian Allinson and stop victimising union activists.

We pledge to campaign for Ian’s reinstatement and build support and solidarity for the Fujitsu dispute.


For more information on the campaign and how you can support it, see https://ouruniontest.wordpress.com/fujitsu-national-dispute/

To add your name to this statement, please use this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedHBJ59tTfUQznILXU-qHGYntOqhubp-ftuCSmlaC_gZr1Iw/viewform



Thursday 18 January 2018

My dismissal and the Fujitsu strikes

On Friday 12 January Fujitsu dismissed me under the guise of redundancy. They had given me the news by letter earlier in the week, when I was on compassionate leave for a family funeral. They didn't even allow me to work my notice despite the fact that I had an outstanding job application they hadn't responded to - for a job they had encouraged me to apply for. My redundancy was a fix to victimise me for my union activity - I was in a tiny fake selection pool where Fujitsu claimed all the jobs were to go, avoiding any scoring.

My last day was brightened by a moving show of support as I left:


I was the fourth member to be dismissed while fighting their redundancy, two more haven't yet been dismissed. Of the six, the majority are black or ethnic minority, the majority are disabled, two are union reps, and one was dismissed without Fujitsu hearing her grievance which included a complaint of sexual harassment linked to her selection.

The fight goes on, including for my reinstatement. I've been protesting outside the site:
Ian holding leaflets outside buildings, with banners reading "No compulsory redundancies, victimisation of union reps, breaking deals" and "strike starts 24 Jan"


Fujitsu Manchester are on strike 24-26 January, 30 January and 8-14 February over compulsory redundancies, victimisation of reps and breaches of redundancy agreements. There's a particular push to get people to protest in support of the pickets on Wednesday 24th January. On Friday 26th January there will be a joint strike rally in Manchester city centre with the First Bus and Mears strikers.

There's lots more information, including how you can support our campaign, on the Unite @ Fujitsu web site.