T-Mobile fights UK union bid

Imports US union buster

By Drew Cullen • Get more from this author

Posted in Mobile, 28th April 2003 13:51 GMT

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T-Mobile has hired "union avoidance labor consultants" The Burke Group to fight a union recognition vote in the UK.

The Burke Group claims a 96 per cent strike rate in fighting 700 union recognition campaigns, although its hit list is entirely American.

The Communications Workers Union has been recruiting among T-Mobile's 6,500 UK employees - 4,000 in call centres for 18 month. A ballot to establish union negotiating rights started last week and closes on May 9.

So will its imported union buster create "unbearable havoc" in the run-up to the deadline? Calling all T-Mobile staff: tell us what's going on, but remember to vote first.

A T-Mobile spokesman told the Financial Mail on Sunday. We're not anti-union but we do have issues with collective bargaining."

Oh really? So what about Germany, where, as FMOS notes, several union officials are on the supervisory board of Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile's parent company.

So why is sauce for the German goose poison for the UK gander? ®

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