You will be aware that E.ON Next has been very much positioned as the future for the business following the acquisition of Npower and its customer accounts.
UNISON welcome the investment in the E.ON business and see this as a clear sign that the business has a future during very uncertain time in the energy industry.
It will however be meaningless if the E.ON Next business does not secure the employment prospects of our current members in E.ON and we have been pressing the business to make this a reality: UNISON has asked for clear assurances that;
- Every opportunity is provided for E.ON legacy workers to transfer to E.ON Next over the next two years
- Existing workers should not be displaced by new workers coming in externally to take up current E.ON Next roles
- The members working at sites that have been identified as outside the future hubs and destined to close, need guarantees on their future. Voluntary severance and redeployment should be the chosen way forward.
- Workers wanting to redeploy should be fully supported to continue to work from home with clear guarantees on how that will work going forward written into their contracts.
- The business outlines plans on future employment needs and also the prospect of work that has been off-shored being retuned to E.ON in the UK
Our discussions with the business on these matters has so far been positive. We do however appreciate that the recent announcements have created a degree of uncertainty and anxiety. Not everything is clear and over the coming months many more discussions will take place between the business and UNISON. E.ON Next does provide a future for the EON business in the UK which is critical but equally important is our clear expectation that UNISON members have a future in the new business and will be an essential ingredient in this success.
Read the full statement below;