Workplace Report November 2016

Recruitment and organisation news

Membership drive by CWU 
at Capita


The annual Action Month run by the CWU communications union in October saw a drive to build membership in Capita following the TUPE transfer of former Tesco Mobile/O2 workers to the outsourced services giant.


Earlier this year, the union had negotiated TUPE protections and a new recognition agreement covering 500 former O2 workers on the Tesco Mobile contract in Preston Brook, Runcorn and Bury. This came after 700 previously outsourced O2 workers who were TUPEd to Capita in 2014 were made redundant.


CWU assistant secretary Brendan O’Brien said: “The union needs to remain vigilant to make sure that the [new] TUPE deal is honoured. The more members we have, the more able we are to hold Capita to account on this and other workplace issues.”


The CWU is also looking to recruit members at an unrecognised Capita site in Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire, where the local branch has been running a newspaper advertising campaign promoting the benefits of CWU membership.