United Microelectronics Corp (聯電), the second-biggest made-to-order chip manufacturer, fired 10 workers after an internal e-mail was leaked to competitors, the Digitimes newspaper reported, without citing anyone.
The company fired the workers following an investigation into how an e-mail written by Chairman Robert Tsao (
Tsao wrote in the e-mail to employees that the company may close one of its chip plants to cut costs, but that it wouldn't fire any workers.
UMC said in June its sales would fall more than expected in the second-quarter and could continue to slide in the third quarter. The company said it planned measures to cut costs.
United Microelectronics Corp, which expects to post an operating loss for the second quarter, may close one of its chip plants to cut costs, according to Tsao's e-mail to employees.
"Should it become necessary, we would consider closing a fab," said UMC spokesman Alex Hinnawi speaking to the media after the news went public. "However, letting employees go is not an option."
The global slump in chip demand has left more than half of UMC's production capacity idle. The second-largest maker of chips to other companies' specifications circulated the message to workers to shore up morale, Hinnawi said.
Details on which of UMC's chip plants might be closed or whether the company will cut spending were not available.
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