SOCIALIST UNITY

Workers at Thames Water’s call centre in Swindon have requested a strike ballot from GMB over outrageous behaviour by management – who are demanding ridiculous changes in shift patterns, and threatening to move the jobs to India if the staff don’t agree.

Thames Water are asking 300 staff to sign up for complete flexibility on working hours, instead of pre-planned shift patterns. Many of the largely women workforce have childcare responsibilities, or have to care for elderly or disabled relatives and are simply unable to comply. Thames Water has said that those who do not sign up for the new terms are making themselves voluntarily unemployed, and would not be entitled to redundancy.

Swindon Advertiser reports GMB officer Andy Prendergast: “So far the feedback has been in favour of action, we do not believe the cuts are necessary. We are sending out a clear message that we are not going to be bullied into anything. Effectively the current position is that these employees feel as though they are being blackmailed because if they don’t sign the contract they will be dismissed and their jobs sent to Asia.”

Laughably, Thames Water are blaming the recession for the need to make savings – as if people are washing less!

Are the managers too stupid to plan shift patterns in advance to fit around the legitimate work-life balance requirements of the previously loyal and dedicated workforce? By expecting full flexibility they are expecting the staff to cover up for their own failings as managers.

In fact there have been quite a few changes at Thames Water in recent months, with uniforms introduced, and comically supervisors and managers now wear coloured sashes on their uniform to indicate rank!

GMB are taking this up at a national level; and General Secretary Paul Kenny has had meetings with government ministers already.

It is outrageous that a former nationalised industry, now owned by Australian banking giant, Macquarie, should be threatening to take jobs out of the UK as a means of trying to bully a workforce into unreasonable working patterns.

Thames Water admits that it is trying to play workers in the UK and India off against each other “We are a major local employer and we want to keep our customer services within Thames Water. We believe we can do this without having to go overseas, by cutting our costs and increasing our flexibility. ”

In other words – move closer to Indian pay and conditions, or we will give your jobs to them. There is in fact no shortage of money, and Thames Water have recently changed out IT systems and furniture at great expense.

Thames Water feel disappointed, as they told the Adver: “We are dismayed by the unhelpful position the national GMB is taking. “It demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the economic climate we are working in and disregards the Partnership Agreement we have with Unison, GMB and Unite”

Thames Water need to wake up. The days of partnership and sweatheart trade unionism are over as far as GMB is concerned. If they want a professional and collaborative relationship with their trade unions, they need to treat their workforce with respect. But if they want to rumble, then they can have a rumble.