Dyson lays off employees in Singapore, sparking union’s anger

The United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries (UWEEI) criticised the way in which the layoffs were carried out [File]
| Photo Credit: Dyson website

Dyson laid off an unknown number of employees in Singapore, sparking anger and criticism from the United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries (UWEEI) union in the country, which claimed that the one-day notice it had been given in late September was not adequate.

Singaporean outlet The Straits Times quoted a Dyson spokesperson who claimed that the electronics manufacturer had given sufficient notice to the union and was following Ministry of Manpower (MOM) guidelines, apart from supporting the affected employees.

“UWEEI Executive Secretary Patrick Tay 郑德源 expressed his disappointment that UWEEI was not informed of Dyson Operations’ retrenchment exercise until a day before, which is not in accordance with the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment,” said a statement by the union on Facebook, adding, “UWEEI is still trying to confirm details of the retrenchment package, including whether there is a cap on the retrenchment package.”

However, The Straits Times cited UWEEI to report that the laid off workers might not have been represented by the union in relevant agreements with Dyson.