Fujitsu UK staff to hold nationwide 3-day strike

Published: 05 Nov 2009 17:24:59 PST

LONDON, Nov 5 - British workers at IT service firm Fujitsu Ltd will stage a three-day national strike from Nov. 12 in a row over jobs, pay and pensions, union Unite said on Thursday.

The union said the stoppages, scheduled to take place on Nov. 12, 13 and 16, would represent the first national strikes in the IT sector in the UK.

Fujitsu, Japan's biggest IT firm, employs around 12,000 people in the UK, in private and public companies, and it was not immediately clear how many would take part in the strike.

Unite said in a statement that members of the Public and Commercial Services union would also take part in the walkouts.

Union officials said the strikes were called over management plans to cut 1,200 jobs, a pay freeze imposed earlier this year, and plans by the company to close the final salary pension scheme.