Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2008/10/08/hp_eds_uk_cuts_3378_jobs/
HP and EDS kill nearly 3,500 UK jobs
Union condemns move, says public sector will suffer
Posted in Channel, 8th October 2008 16:08 GMT
EDS and Hewlett-Packard will slash its UK workforce by 3,378 jobs over the next two years, according to the Public and Commercial Services union.
The union, which has more than 2,000 EDS members, said in a statement this afternoon that the figure was higher than had been feared, and warned that the move would greatly affect public services.
It follows last month’s announcement by HP, which bought EDS in August, that it would trim its workforce by 24,600, or 7.5 per cent, worldwide in a cost-cutting exercise.
EDS holds huge contracts with a number of key government departments including the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Work and Pensions.
PCS condemned HP’s decision to axe so many jobs in the UK, where some 15,000 EDS staff are based.
“Our worst fears have been confirmed," said PCS national officer for EDS Jim Hanson. "We feared 3,000 job losses for the UK, and the figure is even higher.
“For the last 18 months we have already seen job cuts in EDS with a voluntary redundancy exercise already in progress."
Hanson said that HP, which was not immediately available for comment at time of writing, did not consult the union prior to today's announcement.
"It is disappointing that these figures have been made public before we have discussed how they have been arrived at,” he said. ®