[R-G] UNI Global - Breakthrough at IBM Italy

[Tim Murphy]

UNI Global
www.union-network.org 

www.uniglobalunion.org

UNI is the global union for skills and services with 15 million members in
900 unions

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Labour news from UNI global union - for trade unions in a global services
economy.

2nd/11/2007

Breakthrough at IBM Italy

http://www.uniglobalunion.org/SecondLife

FINAL EMAIL, WITH EXCELLENT NEWS:

One month after a virtual protest staged in Second Life with almost 2'000
avatars demonstrating on IBM islands, a new contract with IBM Italy has been
signed.

The new agreement, which still needs to be approved by the IBM Italy
workforce, reinstates the performance bonus that was cut unilaterally by IBM
Italy management.

The agreement signed by IBM Italy and the trade union Rappresentanze
Sindacali Unitarie (R.S.U.) not only includes the performance bonuses from
2007 up until 2010 but also payments by IBM into a national health insurance
fund and also states that negotiations will continue with respect to IBM
industrial and business strategies in Italy and the improvement of internal
communication policies.

The situation abruptly improved and negotiation resumed after the former
country manager left IBM in the mid of October, who had signed responsible
for the pay cuts in the first place. His departure cleared the air and
facilitated constructive negotiations between social partners as this could
be expected from a professional management of a high-tech company.

The virtual demonstration organized on 27 September for a whole day has
certainly had an impact on the positive development. Almost 2'000 virtual
protestors from 30 countries populating IBM premises in Second Life
solicited an unprecedented media echo from all over the world, including TV
and radio stations, daily news papers, computer and business magazines. The
virtual protest had been supported by global unions such as the
International and European Metalworkers Federations (IMF and EMF) and UNI
Global Union.

The threat of strike action in the "real world" by the Italian unions after
the virtual protest has certainly also helped to break the deadlock. Yet,
the impact of this historical action in Second Life must not be
underestimated.

http://www.uniglobalunion.org/SecondLife


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