From Professional Pensions, May 2009:

The technology firm said a 90-day consultation with the pension members committee and trade union Unite about the proposals to freeze the scheme would begin today.

The scheme was closed to new members in 2000.

In a statement, Fujitsu said: "Whilst this action is regretted it is a prudent step to enable us to manage the pension risk."

However, the proposals have been condemned by Unite - which said some 4000 employees would be affected by the move.

It said this came on top of no payment of bonus in 2008, the announcement of a pay freeze in 2009, and a "myriad" of other attempts to reduce employee conditions - including attacking the provision to attend medical appointments in work time and cutting "out of hours" payments.

Unite national officer Peter Skyte, said: "Fujitsu Services is a highly profitable company and made £177m profit in the last financial year.

"The company has yet to produce any proper justification for this latest attempt to raise profits by cutting pension benefits, and this action may hinder future bids for blue chip private sector outsourcing contracts.

"We will be mounting a robust campaign to persuade the company to think again."

Fujitsu Services' proposals are part of a growing trend for firms to close their schemes to existing members.

Last year, a survey by the Association of Consulting Actuaries of more than 330 employers - with scheme assets exceeding £127bn - revealed a total of 14pc of schemes are now closed to future accruals, up from 10% in 2006. (PP Online, July 12, 2008).

And its 2008 smaller firms pension survey found half of companies in this sector had closed their schemes to future accrual for existing members. (PP Online, January 5, 2009).