Cockle-Warming

... and its not even indigestion. Meaningless, but still cockle-warming. From the India Times:

NEW DELHI: Trade Unions seem to have suddenly become active in the IT industry. Trade unions and workers in HP and EDS across Europe are challenging the economic necessity of the lay offs and cut backs in terms and conditions. In late September, IT giant Hewlett-Packard Co had announced plans to cut 7.5 per cent of its work force, or 24,600 jobs, seeking to realise savings from its recent acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corp. Of the 24,600 job cuts, at least 9,300 are likely to be made in Europe, which is almost 8 per cent of the entire workforce. It is also speculated that benefits will be retrenched. According to agencies, employees and trade unions across Europe are holding demonstrations or rally against the layoff plan in front of HP and EDS offices.

* Austria: Workers assembled in front of EDS headquarters in Vienna. There were also discussions between the mangement, workers and union representatives.
* Belgium: Protestors distributed leaflets, badges pamphlets and ball pens at different HP and EDS sites.
* France: There were demonstrations in front of HP and EDS buildings; A full or half-day strike by workers of all EDS offices outside Paris.
* Germany: Workers and works council meetings during three consecutive days; joint union and works council petition and information desks at all EDS sites; call to join the next union meeting to elect bargaining committee to fight for a collective labor agreement.
* Italy: Two hours strike in Rome and Napoli; flyers distributed.
* Spain: Rallies in front of five EDS buildings for 15 minutes.
* Sweden: Unions called for information meetings and distributed leaflets and badges at various HP and EDS sites.
* Switzerland: Road show at Zurich and petition signatures at all sites.
* United Kingdom: Mobile advertisement mounted outside some large HP locations; badges worn in HP locations with slogan `3,378 reasons to protect your future'.

The company had said it will carry out the cutbacks over the next three years, while replacing about half the jobs in new areas of its services business. HP estimated $1.8 billion in annual cost savings once the three-year cost-cutting programme is completed.

At the time the $13.2 billion merger of computer services provider EDS into HP was announced in May, Hewlett-Packard counted 178,000 employees on its books and EDS had 142,000 employees.