ECONOMIC DOWNTURN HITS AYUTTHAYA
PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN and SUNTHORN PONGPAO
Japanese camera-manufacturing giant Nikon yesterday laid off 1,500 of its subcontracting staff in Ayutthaya province after a slump in orders due to the global financial crisis.
Nikon (Thailand) Co, whose manufacturing facilities are located in Rojana Industrial Estate in Ayutthaya, yesterday decided to terminate the employment of the workers because it has received far fewer orders from the United States, Japan and Canada.
All the dismissed workers are under subcontracts and have worked with the company for less than a year, said Pongthai Musikapong, of the Labour Protection and Welfare Office in Ayutthaya.
Company executives have promised severance pay for all the staff, he said.
Nikon's labour union chairman Prasit Sitidet said he would call on the Labour Ministry to immediately help find work for those who had lost their jobs.
Several workers complained yesterday that they had not been informed in advance of the planned lay-offs. Some burst into tears because they had no idea how they would survive.
The employees said if the economic situation worsens, subcontracting staff with many years of experience would be the next victims, to be followed by permanent staff.
Nikon (Thailand) set up it first factory in Thailand in 1990. There are 8,000 permanent staff and 4,000 subcontracting staff at its four factories.
Tosapol Wangsilabat, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) in Ayutthaya, said that by early next year more than 30,000 workers in the province are likely to be made redundant.
He said that up to 100,000 workers could lose their jobs if the economy did not pick up.
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