Union slams HP job cuts

Around 3,400 UK jobs are at stake across HP and the newly acquired EDS

The UK's largest workers' union has slammed HP over the announcement that it plans to shed jobs worldwide, including thousands in the UK.

Unite said that around 3,400 jobs are at stake across HP and the newly acquired EDS, equating to nearly a fifth of the company's entire UK workforce.

It is unclear which locations and parts of HP's operation will be affected globally or in the UK.

"Unite is not against change, but we will oppose any compulsory redundancies and require full consultation," said Peter Skyte, national officer for Unite.

"We will closely monitor the impact of this proposal announced by HP and take all possible steps to safeguard the interests of our members and the workforce. "

Skyte confirmed that the union will press for any company restructure to include redeployment and reskilling of the existing workforce rather than enforced redundancies.

"HP is a wealthy company with very healthy finances," he said, adding that the HP workforce as a whole is paying the price for HP's recent acquisition of EDS.

Skyte said that it can be easy for company heads to make sweeping cuts across a business, but Unite wants to remind HP chairman Mark Hurd that "the decisions he makes in the boardroom have human consequences for people's lives and livelihoods".