HP to shed another 1,300 jobs

Hewlett Packard is to cut another 1,300 jobs in the UK and move production overseas following months of industrial dispute with unions.

The latest announcement has been branded as “butchery” by the Unite union, which points out that the vendor has cut approximately 4,000 jobs in the UK over the last two years.

HP and Unite have been at loggerheads for around a year. In October last year, the union held a ballot for industrial action, the first such vote that HP had experienced in its 71-year history, although industrial action was narrowly avoided.

“Despite significant profits HP appears hell-bent on continuing to butcher its highly skilled UK workforce,” said Unite’s national officer Peter Skyte.

"It is increasingly difficult for HP employees in the UK to plan for their futures when the threat of redundancy is continually hanging over their heads. Morale is at an all time low. Lax employment protection in the UK compared to other European countries means that the UK is bearing the brunt of cuts, as it’s quicker and cheaper to sack UK people and export their jobs abroad.”