IRELAND : 4,000 HP WORKERS TO TAKE ' ENFORCED LEAVE '

[Anonymous]

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/12167/business/hp-ireland-workers-to-take-enforced-leave
HP Ireland workers to take ‘enforced leave’
The
majority of Hewlett-Packard’s 4,000 workforce in Ireland are to take
eight days’ enforced leave at the end of March as the operation shuts
down its manufacturing plant in a bid to cut costs.Siliconrepublic.com
has learned that Hewlett-Packard (HP) intends to shut its Dublin Inkjet
Manufacturing Operation (DIMO) for an eight-day period between St
Patrick’s Day and Easter Monday.The move comes just weeks after Dell in
Limerick announced it was discontinuing manufacturing in the city in
the coming year, with the eventual loss of 1,900 jobs.However, a
spokesperson for HP in Ireland said the company was still committed to
its Irish operations, that the move was a cost-cutting effort, and that
redundancies were not on the cards.

The spokesperson said employees have already been consulted about the move.
“That
is correct. Employees have been written to and have been asked to take
eight days’ leave either as holidays or as unpaid leave over that
timeframe in March and April, and this coincides with public
holidays.”She said the move was in response to volatile market
conditions. “HP is looking to be as operationally efficient as
possible.”The spokesperson told siliconrepublic.com: “There are
definitely no redundancies planned. HP last year announced a
restructure and has reaffirmed its commitment to Ireland.”When asked if
the position may change, the spokesperson said: “In the current
climate, business is constantly under review and this will always be
the case.”HP has several different business units in Ireland spanning
inkjet manufacturing, an international bank, sales and marketing,
e-procurement, media manufacturing and customisation. The majority of
the company’s 4,000 Irish-based employees are employed at the DIMO
facility.

[Author]

February 6, 2009 at 10:48 AM