Inventec Solar Energy Corp (英穩達), a solar cell production subsidiary of Taiwan-based notebook computer maker Inventec Corp (英業達), denied on Friday last week that it laid off more than 100 employees.
In early December, 125 production line employees sought legal mediation to settle a dispute with the company and an agreement was reached with 114, who decided to stay, Inventec Solar Energy said in a statement.
The 11 workers who failed to settle left the company and requested compensation, which the it refused to pay, the solar cell maker said.
The statement was released after local media reported on Friday that the company laid off more than 100 workers at the beginning of the year.
The reports sparked attention, particularly after Hannstar Display Corp (瀚宇彩晶), a maker of small and medium-sized screens, announced earlier last week that it would lay off about 80 workers.
The reported layoffs came as the industry faces a supply glut.
In a separate statement, the Taoyuan Department of Labor said there had been no large layoffs at the solar cell maker.
The requests for mediation from 125 Inventec Solar Energy employees followed a change in the company’s pay structure, but after mediation, the employer agreed to return to the original pay structure, the department said, confirming that 114 of those seeking mediation chose to stay, while 11 left.
The department said it would continue to monitor whether Inventec Solar Energy complies with labor regulations, protecting the rights and benefits of its employees.
Hannstar on Wednesday last week said that it had laid off about 80 workers, including many from its production lines, but added that the layoff was part of its normal workforce adjustments and had nothing to do with the company’s finances.
Hannstar has ample cash and cash equivalents available through low-interest bank loans, the company said.
The company expects to start the Year of the Pig with about 20 new employees, Hannstar said, but added that the flat-panel industry is undergoing inventory adjustments that have affected shipments.
Hannstar’s consolidated sales totaled NT$741 million (US$24.1 million) in December, down 33.6 percent from a month earlier and down 57.8 percent from a year earlier.
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