OEM’s European Works Council claims company obstructed European consultation process over redundancy programme.
Channel Register reports that HP Global is to be sued by its European Works Council (EWC) over its handling of its redundancy programme in Europe, with the council also planning to terminate its works council agreement with the OEM and “negotiate a new agreement under more recent legislation”.
The objection by the EWC, which is reportedly made up of 44 HP employees and a European co-ordinator, Koen Dries, is regarding HP’s decision to cut 29,000 jobs in order to invest more money in R&D, with around 8,000 jobs expected to be cut from its European workforce.
Dries, who has acted as European coordinator for the EWC since 2010, reportedly stated in a subpoena filed with the Brussels Labour Court on 22 October that HP Global failed to follow Act 13 of the EWC directive by “refusing the EWC their legal right to be assisted by experts of their choosing […] by giving only partial information on the restructuring plan and by closing the consultation and information process even before the consultation could start”.
The papers give a six-month notice of the EWC’s termination of its existing agreement with HP, with the council planning to negotiate a new agreement under the 2009 EWC directive, which “compels companies by law to take a seat at the negotiating table”, with Dries pointing out that this would give HP fewer “possibilities to avoid social dialogue” and also enable employees to have more opportunity to “influence the decision-making process”.
While the court is scheduled to convene on 27 November, HP is expected to challenge the subpoena, meaning that a ruling will not be given by the court until a later date.
An HP spokeswoman reportedly commented: “HP is disappointed by the recent unilateral termination of the agreement, which has enabled and governed the good social dialogue between the EWC employee representatives and HP management for more than 15 years.
“HP reaffirms its ongoing commitment to comprehensive communication with employees, and to inform and consult with its European and other works councils and employee forums, based on mutual trust and cooperation.
“HP Management continues to maintain constructive dialogue with the EWC on all subjects throughout the six-month notice period of the agreement, and beyond.”
However, Marcus Courtney, head of UNI ICTS claims that the OEM “has acted in a high-handed manner over its plans to cut jobs. HP management has not been transparent about informing employees in individual countries how the cuts will affect them.”