Authority:4,000 workers of “Toshiba” will not be laid off

BANGKOK, March 13 (TNA) - Labour Protection and Welfare Department Director-General Arthit Isamo said Tuesday Toshiba Storage Device Thailand (TSDT) has confirmed that it will not lay off any staff, after it merges its operations with Western Digital Thailand (WDT). TSDT, formerly the Japan-based Fujitsu Group, last month agreed to merge with WDT, due to impacts from a massive flooding in Thailand late last year, affecting some 4,000 workers who fear that the takeover deal will probably lead to a mass lay-off causing them to be unemployed. Representatives of the two merging firms were scheduled to meet with their workers at the Navanakorn Industrial Promotion Zone in Bangkok's suburban Pathum Thani province Tuesday afternoon to explain the situation to them. Arthit told reporters that his department has sent officials to closely monitor the situation, but he has been informed that WDT has confirmed not to lay off workers transferred from TSDT, except those who opt to accept an early termination of their employment status in exchange for cash compensation. Meanwhile, Sodsri Thongmak, a board member of Fujitsu Labour Union, acknowledged that TDST has paid all its workers 100 per cent of their wages since its operations were suspended in October last year due to the flooding crisis and the workers will receive their normal wages until the end of this month, as the flood-hit manufacturer has already moved out all its machines. (TNA)