More than 30 union representatives from Electricité de France (EDF) companies will gather in Paddington, London, for a two-day meeting to discuss industrial relations and key restructuring plans. Unison and Prospect, who represent 11,300 employees in EDF subsidiary the London Electricity Group, will be the two UK unions represented at the meeting.
The LE Group has 5.2 million customers in southern England. Turnover last year was up 50% and profit after tax more than doubled to £123m, quadrupling profits for EDF to £91m. EDF’s European Works Council was established at the end of 2001, representing half the 170,000 employees within EDF worldwide.
In a joint statement, John Loudoun, Unison regional officer, and Azim Hajee, Prospect negotiations officer, said: "The works council undertakes an important and positive role within the industrial relations machinery of EDF and we are pleased to welcome it to the UK for the first time."
Among UK issues to be discussed at the meeting are:
- the integration of Seeboard into the LE Group, which is restructuring with an accompanying loss of 1,000 jobs. Unison and Prospect are consulting and negotiating with the group at national and local level and have secured a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.
- EDF’s decision to resolve its longest running industrial relations problem by reinstating trade union recognition at its call centre in Doxford, Sunderland. The LE Group had barred trade unions at the centre, which employs 10% of the Group’s workforce.
For Prospect, Azim Hajee said: "LE employees have worked for several American owners and welcome the changed management style of the new European owner. We look forward to strengthening collective bargaining and reducing reliance on personal contracts in the company."
The EWC meeting will be held on May 14-15 from 9.00am at The Atrium, Hilton Hotel, Paddington, London, and will be attended by Electricité de France CEO, François Roussely; and LE Group CEO, Vincent de Rivaz.