Microsoft division retrenches 62 Filipinos

[pOw_pOw]

http://www.inq7.net/brk/2003/jan/22/brkinf_1-1.htm

so I guess there is really no such thing as "Security of Tenure".

[KuyaDanny]

They dumped security of tenure many years ago. Now if only they could do the same thing with the government...

[birleys2]

That is really bad.

Even in Japan, the lifetime employment system is no longer in the works. Young workers no longer view job security as high as their parents once did. Moreover, many companies due to the economic situation are also no longer interested in giving job security.

The sad news is that the middle aged salary workers with families/children who joined the company with the expectation of being hired until retirement are now being laid off. The joined the companies when companies where promising this security tenure and now they are some of the first ones to be fired.

Some of the reasons they are fired is that they are expensive relative to the new workers and that they have become dinosaurs-unable to cope up with new computers/technology.

Now, if the employed people are computer literate/proficient and they are still laid off, I wonder what job or industry (besides being a government official) that is stable.

[rabbaddal]

It's nice to see, though, that MS is helping retrenched employees find work in other MS offices worldwide. Where I used to work, this was not the case even if there was a reasonably strong demand for Filipino talent in our company's global offices. The funny thing about it was that while the Philippine office was laying off, our US divisions were hiring Indians for tech jobs.

But what was really outrageous was that one of very own PHILIPPINE subsidiaries was also supplying techies to our U.S. offices to meet the same demand even if the mother Filipino office was laying off people. A few (can count w/ one hand) of my former officemates successfully got jobs in our US offices by taking the long route - resigning from the Philippine office and applying in the US. But outrageously, our Philippine HR director protested to the U.S. for allegedly "pirating" our talent. Talk about selfishness - the company was already retrenching and yet they had the temerity to stop our people from pursuing better career opportunities. There has to be a management travestry somewhere.

[TT_Boy]

At the bank I used to work with, a lady AVP was let go after 29 years of service. The bosses wouldn't wait to have her retire at her 30th year of service - as her original plan.

She gave most of her life to the bank - even giving up having children.

Companies nowadays deserve no loyalty.

[pOw_pOw]

Most of those who were laid off were programmers and testers.

Yes, they say they would help them find another job but how long would they have to wait? Especially those who already have a family.

Anyway if it would make us feel better, Manila is not the only office they'll close. They would also close offices in London and in other countries. I guess its approximately 300 MBS employees who would lose their job around the world. So sad!

And I thought IT is the best industry to work for nowadays