Services giant Fujitsu is facing a national pay claim from union Amicus. The union is calling for a six per cent increase in the pay budget and for individual rises of at least 3.5 per cent.

Amicus also wants a cut in working hours for staff working 40 hours a week, overnight allowances for staff working away from home and an improved sabbatical scheme. It wants the defined benefit or final salary pension reopened.

The union ran an anonymous survey of Fujitsu salaries to support its claim. It was answered by 648 Fujitsu staff and revealed that women at the firm are typically paid £2,500 and £3,000 less than men doing the same jobs. The average salary at Fujitsu was £29,264, ranging between £15,000 and £40,000.

The survey found that almost two thirds of Fujitsu employees contribute more than three weeks unpaid work for the firm every year.

The union believes that the market for technology jobs is hotting up, justifying the pay claim. It points out that the unemployment rate for ICT workers is very low at 2.9 per cent and that the e-skills UK Quarterly Review found 34 per cent of organisations with IT vacancies were finding them hard to fill.

Amicus intends the pay claim to apply from 1 April 2005 and to apply to all 15,000 employees, except those covered by other union arrangements. Amicus is also in talks with the Public and Commercial Services union which is likely to submit the same claim.

Fujitsu declined to comment on this story.

More details at the Amicus website. ®

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