Great Britain: PCS union to try first knowledge transfer “strike”

At Hewlett Packard, about 1,500 information technology staff, affiliated with the PCS, are being balloted over industrial action short of a strike to save the jobs of 400 of their colleagues whose jobs are being transferred to another area.  They will vote for a strike or for industrial action short of a strike will be to refuse to train up those who are to replace them.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

In February 2014, Hewlett Packard announced it was preparing to axe the 400 jobs at Lytham St Annes, near Blackpool, ending more than 25 years of government computing in the area. Those facing dismissal work on major Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) computer systems such as Job Seekers Allowance and the Personal Independence Payment system. The move is part of the company’s plans to migrate jobs away from Lytham St Annes to its two chosen ‘hub’ sites in Erskine, Scotland but principally C

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
France: wage increases set to fall in 2026
Despite expectations of higher inflation next year – 1.8% compared with 1.3% in 2025 according to the OFCE, the French observatory of economic cycles – wage increases are set to slow...
18 November 2025
France: Adecco steps up commitment to temporary workers with disabilities
On 9 September, temporary work agency Adecco France and representative trade unions signed a new open-ended agreement to support the recruitment and retention of temporary workers with...
18 November 2025
Germany: report previews draft bill to transpose EU Pay Transparency Directive
On Friday 7 November, Germany’s commission for a 'less bureaucratic implementation' of the EU Pay Transparency Directive — made up of employer and trade union representatives — submitted its...
17 November 2025
South Korea: government tightens sanctions for unpaid wages
A law passed on 22 October 2024 — and effective from 23 October — toughens penalties for employers that fail to pay wages on time. In cases of “manifestly intentional”...
17 November 2025
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: Decathlon introduces a ‘duty to respect others’ right to disconnect’
A right-to-disconnect agreement was signed in late September for the French arm of the Decathlon sports retail group. It sets out a "duty to respect others’ right to disconnect" and provides...
14 November 2025
2
Netherlands: ING cites AI as it plans to cut around 950 jobs
Dutch bank ING has informed the employment agency UWV that it may cut around 950 jobs by 31 December 2026. In its notification on 20 October, the lender said the planned reductions stem partly...
30 October 2025
3
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
4
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
5
Italy: new collective agreement for managers in tertiary sector
On 5 November, the ManagerItalia union and the employers’ association Confcommercio renewed the collective agreement for managers in Italy’s tertiary, distribution and services...
6
Germany: legal battle at Tesla ahead of works council election
The Frankfurt/Oder labour court has postponed a mid-November hearing in the case between the IG Metall union and Michaela Schmitz, employee representative and head of the works council at the...