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HIT sacks 28, may cut more jobs
2009/4/17
Hong Kong''s biggest port operator has sacked 28 staff, and a trade union claims the company will sack a total of 80 under a plan to reduce costs by 20 percent, the South China Morning Post reported.
Hongkong International Terminals (HIT) blamed "the economic downturn and worsening business environment" for the sackings, and said "2009 is expected to be a very challenging year". But it denied it would sack 80 staff.
Chiu Chi-keung, chairman of the Container Transportation Employees General Union, said its sources had told it HIT was planning further sackings.
The union accused the company of ignoring its social responsibility and sacking workers without consulting them on other possible cost-cutting measures.
HIT said restructuring was one of the many measures it had adopted "to maximise operating cost efficiency" and that it would "closely monitor market developments and review all options".
Chiu said the workers laid off ranged from frontline staff to managers. "Workers from the engineering department, and those who operated machines to handle containers, managers and some from the higher managerial level were sacked," he said.
The union has asked HIT management for a meeting.
"We want to engage in a dialogue with the company and appeal to its management to stop sacking its employees and work out other measures to cut operating costs to survive this difficult time," Chiu said.
"The company should inform its employees about its intention to cut costs and difficulties in doing business before taking any action. All the affected workers were so shocked when they were sacked and told to leave their posts at once."
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2009/4/17