Dutch Contribution - Joint Union Leaflet (engl)

"BOOK KEEPERS" IN POWER!

The merger between Alcatel and Lucent created the expectation that a long series of reorganisations would come to an end. The merger is a challenge for us to approach and conquer the market unified and strengthened. Our employer agrees too, because the targets for this year have been increased by 20%. In other words there is a belief in success. And this is also logical going by last year, which was an excellent one in the Netherlands both on the Alcatel side and the Lucent side.

This made last Friday’s announcement that 12,500 people have to go world-wide and that in the Netherlands more than 25% of the people are to be dismissed all the more painful. Where we like to see the merger as an opportunity, the new company sees mainly cost reductions. Focus is not on the tasks and opportunities, but on that little word ‘’head count’’ to keep the shareholders happy. And so in the Netherlands we must increase our turnover by 20% with 25% fewer people.

Today, in a large number of European countries protests are being held against this state of affairs. With this pamphlet we, the trade union organisations and the works councils, want to let it be known that we support this protest. That we don’t want "book keepers" in power, but entrepreneurs ready to make the most of opportunities. The market is picking up, good personnel is becoming ever scarcer. If the expectations of the merger are realised we should be recruiting more personnel, whereas now we are turning them out onto the street.

We are about to enter into negotiations with the employer. During these negotiations the trade union organisations will focus on employment. Sufficient and motivated personnel with which to realise this 20%. Negotiations that are not oriented towards a drawing table with "head counts", but towards the market.

The collective trade unions

The collective works councils