PCS members working for Fujitsu have called off a strike after the giant IT company made an improved pay offer to avoid a strike.
PCS’s 720 members work on contracts for DVLA, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Office of National Statistics, had planned to carry out a joint strike with members of Unite union on Monday 19th September.
Unite’s dispute relates to the companies refusal to honour agreements and the sacking of union rep Alan Jenney. The strikes involve Fujitsu’s Manchester and Crewe offices.
PCS members had planned to strike over a below-inflation pay offer which it had branded an insult to Fujitsu’s lowest-paid workers.
However, Fujitsu has offered PCS members a pay deal that is more than twice the rate of inflation. The lowest-paid staff will now receive a basic 11 percent increase, and everyone on £20,000 or less will receive more than 2.5 percent. The pay rises will be backdated to 1st August, with an additional £500 compensation paid to those whose pay date was before 1st August. In addition, all staff earning less than the 85 percent of the median for their grade will be moved up to the median, and a structured progression system for staff will be implemented at the two sites where the majority of low-paid staff are based. Fujitsu will also hold further discussions with PCS about pay progression and transparency of contracts in December.
Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “This is a major deal for these private sector workers, particularly the lowest paid, who do essential work supporting our public services. While we have called off our strike, we send solidarity and support to members in Unite and call on the company to sit down with their representatives to resolve the issues.”
PCS said it will write to Fujitsu calling on them to resolve the dispute, send a PCS delegation to Unite picket lines on the day, and carry out workplace collections for Unite’s hardship fund.
For more information on the dispute click here.
