Dyson retrenches S’pore staff with 1 day’s notice to union, it expresses disappointment

Dyson retrenches staff on 1 Oct, informs union on 30 Sept

Dyson, a manufacturer of cutting-edge household appliances, has laid off a number of staff members from its Singapore office.

The move was reportedly a surprise to the affected employees, with just one day’s notice given to the union.

Dyson retrenches staff discreetly, say those affected

A staff member who was laid off told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that the retrenchment exercise was “discreetly” conducted on Tuesday (1 Oct).

Those affected received an email for a meeting, with a human resources (HR) representative in the room.

They were told that their job was redundant, to pack their things and prepare to leave.

The former employee said they saw lots of envelopes, but didn’t know how many people were called into the room.

Another affected employee was also uncertain how many were affected, but told CNA that they were from the manufacturing and procurement departments.

A third claimed at least 12 people were retrenched from teams such as research and development.

Low morale at Dyson after it retrenches staff

One of the former employees said the retrenchment came as a surprise, with people packing up “suddenly”, as if they were just going for a meeting.

Even those not affected were worried that more was to come, leading to low morale among those who fear they might be next.

Thus, the atmosphere in the office was “solemn” all day.

Dyson had previously laid off staff in its development centre in Johor Bahru but said it was expanding in Singapore.

Dyson retrenched 1,000 staff in the UK in July

The retrenchments in Singapore come about three months after it announced 1,000 layoffs in the United Kingdom (UK), reported Reuters.

In July, Dyson CEO Hanno Kirner said the company would review its global structures to prepare for the future, adding:

As such, we are proposing changes to our organisation, which may result in redundancies.

However, Dyson told CNA after that announcement that its Singapore staff were “not directly impacted” by the UK layoffs.

Dyson moved HQ to S’pore in 2019

Dyson made Singapore its global head office in 2019 and moved into its global headquarters at St James Power Station in 2022.

This sparked backlash among Britons, given that its billionaire founder James Dyson had supported Britain leaving the European Union. Some critics had said it was a “betrayal”.

A Dyson spokesperson told CNA in response to queries that the company constantly evolves the composition of its teams, saying:

Our ambitions in Singapore remain unchanged, and we anticipate that we will continue to grow here in the medium term.

Union informed about Dyson retrenchment 1 day before

The United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (UWEEI), however, has expressed disappointment at the timing of Dyson’s layoffs.

UWEEI executive secretary Patrick Tay said in a Facebook post late on Tuesday that the company informed the union of the impending retrenchment exercise only on Monday (29 Sept) — the day before it was conducted.

UWEEI, which is affiliated with the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), has escalated the matter to the Ministry of Manpower.

While UWEEI understands that the affected workers are all PMEs and as such “fall outside its scope of representation under the collective agreement with Dyson”, it “stands ready to support all the affected workers”.

The union and the Employment & Employability Institute (e2i) will assist affected workers in their job searches, as well as those who may face financial hardship.

Mr Tay urged companies who’re retrenching staff to observe the guiding principles of NTUC’s Fair Retrenchment Framework, saying:

Unionised companies should work with their unions in a timely manner to ensure that a fair and equitable process is carried out to safeguard the interests of all workers, especially our Singaporean core.

Affected workers and union members are advised to contact UWEEI for assistance.

In response to UWEEI’s statement, Dyson told CNA it had “respectfully informed UWEEI in advance”.

The company “is following all prevailing guidelines from the MOM and providing employees with the support they need”, it said.

Also read: NTUC Disappointed By Lazada Retrenchment Exercise, Says E-Commerce Company Did Not Inform Union Beforehand

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Featured image adapted from Dyson Singapore.