UK : HP WORKERS BEGIN STRIKE….

[Anonymous]

http://www.computerworlduk.com/management/careers-hr/people-management/news/index.cfm?newsId=19247
HP workers begin two-day strike
Members of the Public and Commercial
Services (PCS) union began a 48-hour strike at HP today over a dispute
over job security and payThe strike action affects work at the
Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Defence, and car
manufacturer Vauxhall. Industrial action was also taking place at HP
locations in Washington, near Newcastle, and Preston and Blackpool, the
PCS said.

The dispute centres on pay freezes, as well as on the
3,400 EDS staff who have been made redundant since HP took over the
company in 2008, and the 1,000 job losses planned for the first half of
the year.The strikes are taking place as non-IT workers in the civil
service, also in the PCS union, stage a simultaneous high profile series
of strikes affecting a range of services. Additionally, there are more
than 20 rallies taking place.

Jim Hanson, national officer at
PCS, was at the picket line at HP’s office in Newcastle, where 25 people
were demonstrating. “The car park is looking somewhat empty, so we’ve
had a good day,” he said.”There was also a successful demonstration
between 7.30am and 9.30am outside HP’s headquarters in central
London.”On Friday, HP insisted it was ready for the strikes. A
spokesperson said: “In cooperation with our clients, we have put
together a plan to mitigate the impact of the two-day
action.”Registration is free, and gives you full access to our extensive
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Add to NetvibesThe dispute between PCS and HP has been going on since
December 2009, when HP narrowly avoided a strike by union members by
agreeing to sit down to talks at the eleventh hour.After a one-day
strike in January, Hanson said the union had had a couple of meetings
with the mediation organisation Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration
Service (ACAS), but that HP “wasn’t willing to move far enough.”

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/05/technology/HP_revises_first_quarter/
Legal charges trim HP profit
NEW YORK – Hewlett-Packard revised its first-quarter net
income down by $73 million on Friday, thanks to charges for litigation
involving a company that the computer giant acquired in 2008.Net income
for the quarter ended Jan. 31 has been revised to $2.59 billion, or
$1.07 a share, excluding one-time charges — down from the $2.67
billion, or $1.10 per share, HP (HP) previously reported on Feb 17. On a
GAAP basis, HP is now reporting earnings of $2.25 billion, down from
the $2.32 billion previously reported.”The revision is unrelated to HP’s
strong business performance in the first quarter,” a company
spokeswoman told CNNMoney.In 2004, Sky Subscribers Services Limited and
British Sky Broadcasting Limited filed a lawsuit in the United Kingdom
against technology services company Electronic Data Systems (EDS). HP
acquired EDS in August 2008.The 2004 suit relates to a “customer
relationship management project” that EDS was awarded in 2000, according
to HP’s press release.At a March 1 court hearing, EDS was ordered to
pay BSkyB 70 million British pounds, or about $112 million. That’s in
addition to another payment of $320 million HP made to BSkyB in February
2010.

Accounting rules required HP to increase the reserves it
has set aside to absorb the litigation’s cost.The March 1 payment order
followed a January court decision that dismissed most of BSkyB’s claims
against EDS but found the company liable in some areas. HP said it is
seeking permission to appeal the court’s ruling.The company did not
provide updated guidance for its second fiscal quarter or the remainder
of 2010.

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March 8, 2010 at 1:28 PM