More Job Cuts at Alcatel-Lucent

Last week Alcatel-Lucent announced 400 job cuts in France as part of their current round of 4000 redundancies globally before the end of next year. This is on top of 12,500 cuts announced in February last year.

This is hardly comforting for the Vodafone employees in the Technology Business Unit who are currently been outsourced to a clearly troubled company. The wisdom of transferring responsibility for systems at the core of a mobile network into the hands of an operation who’s own house is not in order is also questionable.

Alcatel-Lucent are desperate for the business and this would have been reflected in the price they quoted. But long term they are unlikely to be providing services to Vodafone out of charity and will expect to take a profit on the contract. They will only be able to do this by cutting costs.

This highlights why it is essential to fully understand the rights that employment law provides to those individuals affected. TUPE is highly complicated area of law which would be impossible to properly explain in this space. Fortunately our union are experts in employment law and provide members with independent advice so that their rights can be fully exercised.

It is certain that other Vodafone teams will be outsourced during 2008. Unions are unable to support new members in pre existing processes so anyone who has yet to sign up to Connect should do so without delay.