Hewlett Packard cutting jobs in UK and sending work abroad

Unite branded the news "butchery", saying the cuts came on top of 900 job losses announced in June to take place by the end of October.

Nearly 4,000 jobs have now been cut by the company throughout the UK over the past two years, with the figure now set to rise to almost 6,000, said Unite.

The company's sites across the UK include Sheffield.

National officer Peter Skyte said: "Despite significant profits HP appears hell-bent on continuing to butcher its highly skilled UK workforce.

"It is increasingly difficult for HP employees in the UK to plan for their futures when the threat of redundancy is continually hanging over their heads. Morale is at an all time low.

"Lax employment protection in the UK compared to other European countries means that the UK is bearing the brunt of cuts, as it's quicker and cheaper to sack UK people and export their jobs abroad."

Unite said the cuts brought into question the Government's assumption that the high-technology private sector will spark growth and new jobs in the UK.

"These job cuts mainly involve the export of jobs to HP locations outside the UK," said Mr Skyte. "On the evidence of these cuts, the UK Government's belief that the hi-tech private sector will be the motor for growth and new jobs is largely a mirage."

The Public and Commercial Services union warned of possible industrial action over the job losses, especially if there are compulsory redundancies.

General secretary Mark Serwotka said: "This is not being driven by financial necessity, but by Hewlett Packard's relentless obsession with profit."