Union fears 3,000 EDS job cuts in UK

EDS management are bunkered in a hotel near Heathrow mulling the future of thousands of UK and Europe-based staff, following Hewlett-Packard’s decision to slash nearly 25,000 jobs earlier this week.

Yesterday the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union expressed fears that at least 3,000 UK workers would be given their marching orders at the services firm, which HP acquired last month for $13.9bn.

Former civil servants employed by EDS, which has a number of major government contracts that include DWP and MoD, could see their jobs axed following the HP merger, the union said.

PCS national officer Jim Hanson told The Register that the union had estimated one in five EDS workers’ jobs were under threat in Blighty. He said the 3,000 number the union had arrived at was a “rough and ready” figure. He added that PCS has had “no formal contact with HP”.

“We’ll be closely scrutinising the process, and we’ll be challenging what HP will be doing,” said Hanson, who represents 2,500 union members employed by EDS.

He said many people were frustrated and upset by the lack of information from HP. Indeed, the tech giant has declined to comment outside of its official statement about the global 24,600 job cull earlier this week.

Meanwhile UK EDS management wonks have been huddled together in a hotel in Heathrow discussing the future implications of the company.

Unions across Europe that represent EDS will meet at a European Works Council next week (25/26 September) where it is expected that “country-specific targets” will be outlined.

One source told El Reg that PCS had made an "educated guess" about how many jobs would be axed in the UK. "HP plans on top of EDS existing plans to restructure mean however that the 3,000 figure may even be a little conservative," claimed the source. ®