Atos IT workers threaten strike during Olympics over 'living wage'
Union: Games sponsor 'makes millions on the backs of its low-paid staff'
Atos IT workers are threatening to strike over pay in industrial action that could hit the London Olympics.
The Public and Commercial Services union said it was balloting members on strike action this week after they voted not to accept "below-inflation pay offers".
Over 1,500 members across Atos Healthcare and Atos IT Services will get to vote for or against going on strike, which they could decide to do during the Olympic Games.
"In sponsoring the Olympics, Atos would like the world to associate it with a spirit of effort and success, but the reality is that it makes its millions on the backs of its low-paid staff," PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said in a canned statement.
The union claims that Atos is refusing to give employees what's known as a "living wage" – the minimum necessary for basic needs – which it says is £8.30 an hour in London and £7.20 an hour in the rest of the UK.
Atos said that it has made a "fair and competitive offer".
If the members vote to go on strike, health centres could lose administrative and reception staff from Atos Healthcare. Atos IT Services workers have a number of contracts, including tech support for BBC production staff and on-air presenters and IT support for the Welsh Assembly.
An Atos spokesperson told The Register that services wouldn't be affected during the Olympics if workers went on strike.
"We have robust contingency plans in place to avoid any disruption to services in the event of a strike," Atos said. ®
COMMENTS
Are there ANY olympics sponsors who aren't complete arseholes?
I went out to shoot some shots of the torch passing through the local town, we waited for 90 minutes, the first through were 3 huge trucks by Coke, Samsung and some other mega-corp. They took about 5-10 minutes to crawl up the 400 yards of the high-street. Next up were, two Police bikes, a police car, the bearer and a support coach, they were rushed through at lightning speed I barely got time to rattle off 3 shots before they were all gone!
I think I know whose benefit the torch parade is for!
Re: 0.5%, *really*?
There are whole towns claiming falsely? Where? Don't spout out such statements without anything to back it up. Why don't you report them and your family members? I would dearly love to know how anyone can game a system where people with terminal illnesses are found fit to work and then die within weeks.
Personally I have mental health issues that mean I practically lived in my bedroom and even though I live with parents I would see them perhaps 5 - 10 minutes a day on a "good" day. I was waiting close to THREE years for help after asking for it and when I finally got it and had appointments with psychiatrists, CPNs and various groups I was sent for a medical and given 0 points. The person doing the medical wasn't a psychiatrist, she wasn't even a doctor, she was a nurse. She blatantly lied on the forms and wrote down that I'd never sought *any* help despite a veritable mountain of evidence to the contrary. It took a year to get to appeal and I came out with *31* points.
The point in all this? If I, and others like me, can't pass a medical with these assholes and you know of people that are gaming the system then report them! Family or not they are a huge part of the problem. I struggled and thought plenty of times about suicide because it felt like an endless hassle when I was doing everything I was able to at the time. Others have unfortunately gone through with it yet anyone gaming the system, as you put it, doesn't care because there is nothing wrong with them.
AC because while I don't mind sharing this I do mind trolling assholes and don't want this coming back to me.
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