Fujutsu does Ninjutsu on British jobs

Culling 15 percent of staff because of Brexit and too many clouds

Fujitsu has announced plans to cull up to 1,800 UK staff, over 15 percent of its UK workforce, as part of a downsizing of its British operation because of Brexit.

The Japanese outfit said that the job losses are the result of a “transformation programme” designed to improve efficiency and enable the company to remain competitive. Transformation means that lots of people who had jobs will be transformed to being unemployed.

Fujitsu’s traditional customer base as firms choose to consume as-a-service offerings rather than purchase and run their own gear.  

UK union Unite moaned that the cuts were a “hammer blow” to the UK economy, particular as there does not appear to be much transformation, just moving jobs off-shore.

Unite’s national officer for IT Ian Tonks said: “Fujitsu’s main UK subsidiary made £85.6m profit last year and we see no reason for these job losses. Unite will do its utmost to fight for these jobs, as well as giving our members maximum support at this very worrying time.”

Fujitsu has yet to announce which jobs will be lost, or from which of its sites. The firm has offices in London, Belfast, Bracknell, Crewe, Derry, Manchester, Stevenage, Wakefield and Warrington, among others. It is thought that most of the cuts will take place next year, although some may be pushed into the following year.

Fujitsu president Tatsuya Tanaka warned before the referendum on EU membership that a Brexit would be a “huge negative” for the firm’s UK-based IT business. However, the firm claimed that this round of job cuts is unrelated to Britain’s decision to leave the EU.