STRIKING workers at a global IT giant are stepping up protests against 'irresponsible' job cuts.

Unite members at Fujitsu Services Limited have been left angered by the company's plans to axe 1,800 jobs and retrospectively slash pensions.

Workers are continuing to protest in the ongoing dispute, with Unite members picketing outside the Fujitsu site in Lovelace Road every morning.

Sarah English, Unite standing picket supervisor at Fujitsu, said: "The company is not behaving in a responsible way.

"Fujitsu are not publishing statistics on how they are selecting people for redundancy and it seems they are mainly focussing on part-time staff, particularly women.

"It is far from a responsible business, even though it won the Responsible Business of the Year Award two years ago.

"The firm is forcing some of its staff out on compulsory redundancy, while it has essentially undone several years of working for older members of staff.

"We're also trying to force the company to be a living wage company because there are areas of Fujitsu engineering services who are barely on minimum wage."

'Unite at Fujitsu' has seven more days of picket action planned, while Ms English demonstrated at the Responsible Business Conference in London on Monday.

Fellow picketer, Mike Adams, added: "It is a sad state of affairs and we need to make sure that we represent workers to ensure companies do the right thing.

"There aren't many companies left in Bracknell but our branch is here to support workers at those companies that are left."

Strike action first began on February 28, while the next strike days will be tomorrow (Thursday April 27) and Friday (April 28), Thursday May 4 to May 5, Monday May 8 and Thursday May 11 to Friday 12.

The national protest follows the recent resolution of a Manchester dispute which included 12 days of strike action.

Last year the global firm, which has 11 offices spread throughout the UK, announced plans to cut 1,800 jobs, which is around one fifth of all UK staff.

Fujitsu said last year that the cuts were part of a "transformation programme" within the company and not linked to Brexit.

However, Masami Yamamoto, Fujitsu chairman, said last May that the firm would reconsider its investments in the UK if it left the European Union.

Fujitsu declined to comment when contacted by the Bracknell News.