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500 workers retrenched from hard-drive firm HGST, union to h

Ender

By Ender,
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Ender

Ender

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Seeing such a large scale retrencmenh, very sad. Somemore Chinese new year coming, should be receiving ang pow or AWS instead of this.

 

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/500-workers-retrenched-hard-drive-firm-hgst-union-help-20131227

 

500 workers retrenched from hard-drive firm HGST, union to help.

 

Western Digital company HGST, which makes hard-drives, retrenched 500 employees on Friday. But the firm has committed to ensuring "fair compensation and treatment" for those workers, the United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries (UWEEI) said in a statement.

The union said that it was informed of HGST's "plans to enhance competitiveness", including the retrenchment, in early November. "While we are saddened by this exercise, we understand that the company faces keen challenges to maintain cost competitiveness," said UWEEI executive secretary and National Trades Union Congress deputy secretary-general Heng Chee How.

Besides meeting the industry norms for retrenchment terms, the company will also extend the workers' hospitalisation and surgical insurance coverage in Singapore until March, and pay union membership dues for the same period.

In addition, UWEEI and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) will hold a job fair for the affected workers on January 16, at e2i. The union has encouraged companies from the same sector to take part. So far, 24 companies have signed up and about 500 vacancies will be available. About 300 jobseekers are expected. UWEEI and e2i will also arrange for workers who are Singaporean or permanent residents to attend employability camps and executive workshops before the job fair.

 

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Darthrevan

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The company cited rising labour and operating costs as the reasons for the retrenchment exercise, and said it is relocating its "Cobra E" manufacturing facilities to Thailand, a more cost-effective location.
HGST said this retrenchment exercise is part of their plan to re-position the Singapore facility from a mass volume manufacturing site to an engineering centre which oversees factories in Thailand and China.
HGST said that most of its competitors, like Seagate, have already relocated their manufacturing facilities out of Singapore.

 

 

 

 

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Angchug

Angchug

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Is Singapore really that expensive I really wonder!!!

I am working on a project in Hyundai Shipyard in Korea.

Electrician is S$50/hr or S$500 per connection. Even a silly power plug.

Welder is S$45/hr and sit around the whole day.

Min charges is 8hrs.

IT guy to config a network port for a day is S$50,000.00 ( no joke I got the invoice )

Korean gov really protect their people here. Make me feel I am like a super cheap labour here.

 

 

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Watwheels

Watwheels

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Korean workers if not happy with salary they can strike wor. You sure it's their gahment protecting them? LoL...

 

I dunno lah those profession you mentioned are skilled labour. I dunno about IT. And sgp do not have shipbuilding as big as theirs. There's a waiting list to have ship built there. In other words there's demand for the industry. Next biggest in the region shipbuilding yard will be China Kwangchou.

 

Hard drive related industry got ups and downs. It's not always up like shipbuilding. Since the trend is heading towards flash storage it's up to the company to adapt, if they can't this will happen. Is it gahment fault that they are unable to "protect" workers? Ppl are talented when pushing the blame. Haha...

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Manmaster

Manmaster

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This is not surprising la. In the good old days, our manufacturing constituted 75% of our GDP. Now, manufacturing is only around 25% while services industry is 75% of our GDP.

 

As a developed country, we need to move to more services. In the US, services industry constitutes 90% while manufacturing is only 10%.

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Watwheels

Watwheels

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(edited)

Manufacturing also got to see what the companies make mah. If make smartphones & tablets sure huat. If make CD or DVD can get ready like hard drive making companies or are already gone. There's still demand but depending on what is being made. Ppl always repeat what other ppl say, buay sian meh? Manufacturing cmi in sgp blah blah blah... All move to China blah blah blah...

But it won't stay that way forever mah. China minimum wage will one day rise to become expensive too. What dan?

Edited by Watwheels
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Mustank

Mustank

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Manufacturing also got to see what the companies make mah. If make smartphones & tablets sure huat. If make CD or DVD can get ready like hard drive making companies or are already gone. There's still demand but depending on what is being made. Ppl always repeat what other ppl say, buay sian meh? Manufacturing cmi in sgp blah blah blah... All move to China blah blah blah...

But it won't stay that way forever mah. China minimum wage will one day rise to become expensive too. What dan?

Go Africa [grin]

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Voodooman

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(edited)

Is Singapore really that expensive I really wonder!!!

I am working on a project in Hyundai Shipyard in Korea.

Electrician is S$50/hr or S$500 per connection. Even a silly power plug.

Welder is S$45/hr and sit around the whole day.

Min charges is 8hrs.

IT guy to config a network port for a day is S$50,000.00 ( no joke I got the invoice )

Korean gov really protect their people here. Make me feel I am like a super cheap labour here.

 

 

Land, rent, utilities, transport, etc. are expensive in Singapore, one of the highest in Asia.

 

This is a globalized world and except for some niche products, prices are not set by us.

 

Guess who gets screwed to allow businesses to stay afloat.

 

Wages are rising due to rollover of FT/FW policies, it is innovate, boost productivity or ship out.

Edited by Voodooman
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Throttle2

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Whats the problem , most likely out of the 500 workers , only a few are Singaporeans. I thought you guys wish to have less FTs on this island ?

Reported that half are locals / Singaporeans.

 

Hope they didnt think that economy is forever lovey dovey and jobs forever intact and go borrow here and there to buy big ticket items......

 

If no savings, get ready to sell assets loh....

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Baal

Baal

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Reported that half are locals / Singaporeans.

 

locals / Sin thingy is sometimes deliberately greyed.

 

The term may apply to blue ic. Hence could be majority still FT. blue can anytime denounce , sell flat & go home.

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Throttle2

Throttle2

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locals / Sin thingy is sometimes deliberately greyed.

 

The term may apply to blue ic. Hence could be majority still FT. blue can anytime denounce , sell flat & go home.

Yeah, thats why i always say, its good to be Malaysian, living and earning SG$....

At worst go back song song.

 

We ? Only crawl back into our pigeonholes

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Karoon

Karoon

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Is Singapore really that expensive I really wonder!!!

I am working on a project in Hyundai Shipyard in Korea.

Electrician is S$50/hr or S$500 per connection. Even a silly power plug.

Welder is S$45/hr and sit around the whole day.

Min charges is 8hrs.

IT guy to config a network port for a day is S$50,000.00 ( no joke I got the invoice )

Korean gov really protect their people here. Make me feel I am like a super cheap labour here.

 

 

 

the worker salaries make up the bulk of the cost, and as can be seen they enjoy the high pay.

Here, total costs are probably similar, but bulk goes to the rich fellas owning the land, power stations, gas pipes, etc

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Evillusion

Evillusion

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the worker salaries make up the bulk of the cost, and as can be seen they enjoy the high pay.

Here, total costs are probably similar, but bulk goes to the rich fellas owning the land, power stations, gas pipes, etc

and we know who the land owners, power stations belong to.......
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