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CWA: IBM Must Divulge Information on Job Cuts
CWA called on IBM Corp. to "come clean" and provide employees with full information about the planned job cuts that the company announced several weeks ago.
In May, IBM said it would cut between 10,000 and 13,000 jobs from American and European operations. In making that announcement, IBM did not indicate that the company will increase employment in India this year by 14,000 workers. That news was reported by the New York Times on June 24, based on internal IBM documents.
"IBM just announced its fifth new software center in India, which will hire an additional 1,000 programmers this year," said Lee Conrad, national coordinator for the Alliance@IBM, CWA Local 1701. "It's clear that IBM is systematically eliminating good paying, skilled technical jobs in the United States in order to expand its operations in India," he said. "U.S. IT workers already have been hit hard by devastating job losses as companies offshore their work to India. IBM is among the worst offenders, pushing relentlessly to export skilled jobs overseas," he added.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, IBM already employs 23,000 workers in India.
Alliance@IBM pressed IBM to divulge the number of job cuts to take place in the United States, where those cuts will occur and how many employee jobs will be off-shored Conrad said, adding, "IBM employees and their communities deserve to know this information."
"We're also requesting that IBM forward to the Alliance the list of employees selected for job termination and when these actions are scheduled," he said.
The Alliance questioned IBM's statement that employees can seek another job within the company within 30 days. "This is a smokescreen, one that offers an illusion of hope for employees and misleads the public," Conrad said. "The fact is that very few employees who are targeted for job cuts find new jobs. IBM is intent on pushing people out the door, not keeping them employed," he added
To help break IBM's secrecy, the Alliance has created a section on its web page called Job Cut Comments (http://www.allianceibm.org/jobcutstatusandcomments.htm), devoted to news, information and stories from IBM employees caught in the restructuring. More information also will be available on the next edition of the Alliance@IBM TV show, "Think Twice," that also appears at www.allianceibm.org
In May, IBM said it would cut between 10,000 and 13,000 jobs from American and European operations. In making that announcement, IBM did not indicate that the company will increase employment in India this year by 14,000 workers. That news was reported by the New York Times on June 24, based on internal IBM documents.
"IBM just announced its fifth new software center in India, which will hire an additional 1,000 programmers this year," said Lee Conrad, national coordinator for the Alliance@IBM, CWA Local 1701. "It's clear that IBM is systematically eliminating good paying, skilled technical jobs in the United States in order to expand its operations in India," he said. "U.S. IT workers already have been hit hard by devastating job losses as companies offshore their work to India. IBM is among the worst offenders, pushing relentlessly to export skilled jobs overseas," he added.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, IBM already employs 23,000 workers in India.
Alliance@IBM pressed IBM to divulge the number of job cuts to take place in the United States, where those cuts will occur and how many employee jobs will be off-shored Conrad said, adding, "IBM employees and their communities deserve to know this information."
"We're also requesting that IBM forward to the Alliance the list of employees selected for job termination and when these actions are scheduled," he said.
The Alliance questioned IBM's statement that employees can seek another job within the company within 30 days. "This is a smokescreen, one that offers an illusion of hope for employees and misleads the public," Conrad said. "The fact is that very few employees who are targeted for job cuts find new jobs. IBM is intent on pushing people out the door, not keeping them employed," he added
To help break IBM's secrecy, the Alliance has created a section on its web page called Job Cut Comments (http://www.allianceibm.org/jobcutstatusandcomments.htm), devoted to news, information and stories from IBM employees caught in the restructuring. More information also will be available on the next edition of the Alliance@IBM TV show, "Think Twice," that also appears at www.allianceibm.org