Posted on 03/04/2014 7:54:29 PM PST by RightGeek
Research Triangle Park, N.C. — Thousands of IBM workers in China - some carrying banners describing IBM as a "Sweat Shop" and "We are not merchandise" and many wearing blue lab coats - launched protests Monday that continued Tuesday in reaction to layoffs and the sale of IBM's low-end server business to Lenovo.
Unlike at the Research Triangle Park complex where layoffs spark little if any public protest, including layoffs that started last week, the IBM facility in Shenzhen City was blocked with hundreds of protesters gathered at the entrance.
Shenzhen is a major city in southern China located near Hong Kong. IBM operates an x86 server facility there. The x86 server group is being sold to Lenovo for some $2.3 billion, pending government approval. Lenovo, which is largely based in China, operates its executive headquarters in Morrisville.
[snip - translated protest signs etc.]
Workers in one video were told to unit and to "send a representative to the negotiation table."
The woman speaking was a representative from the city, telling the workers on strike that City is speaking to IBM and trying to hold a three-way negotiation," the translator said. "She is asking workers to elect [and] send representatives."
[snip]
Chinese news site NTDTV also carried coverage of the strike.
The reviewer of that website for WRALTechWire noted that many of the IBM workers involved had worked more than 10 years at the company. They said they were being fired "without appropriate compensation."
IBM's severance packages were described as "imparity clauses."
The workers also demanded that IBM compensate them "according to China's labor law."
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at wraltechwire.com ...
Are these Chinese workers complaining that IBM is selling the division for which they work to a Chinese company, Lenovo?
IBM used to make those servers in Rochester Mn. Welcome to the club boys and girls.
Imagine my position as a tech guy here in the USA.
The Chinese are feeling the pain I have dodged for 32 years.
They are being laid off apparently.
Yupper.
IBM used to be an employer of choice. A younger friend of mine, that still works for them and is constantly looking for another job, was told by a recruiter that working for IBM is seen within their organization as a negative. They assume that if you still work at IBM and are too young to retire, there must be something wrong with you. They don't waste their time with an interview. That says a lot about IBM's reputation within the industry
The funny thing is - the Chinese workers do not want to work for Lenovo - a Chinese company.
Pass me the crab rangoon please.
IBM has been on the skids for 3 decades.
Lenovo must be a real sweatshop.
What ever happened to WANG? dat’s Chinese aint it?
Technology is not even evolving at this point so much as marketing is evolving, or devolving as it were.
Didn’t IBM aid the Nazis?
Would that be the same IBM whose stock price has doubled in the past 5 years? If them’s the skids, I wanna get on one.
Lenovo has been making all the Thinkpads since 2005 and recently bought Motorola Mobility from Google. Guess you’d say they’re on the skids too...after all they’re only the largest PC manufacturer in the world.
I agree entirely with those comments. IBM has sort of mirrored the US economy itself over the last 40 years.
Like anything that is “hollowed out”, when it collapses, it will be abrupt.
Generally, I’ve found that Lenovo makes pretty good stuff.
....”The Chinese are feeling the pain I have dodged for 32 years”....
That was my first thought...they’re learning no such thing as job security...10 yrs. @ IBM is a good run for a job in today’s world...especially when here in the USA they say you should be looking for work after three years in order to advance.
I also remember living in ohio when a Chinese company bought out a company and cut all the employees wages.
On The prowl again.
It is the American way and the old way.
I just can’t muster much compassion to care about these workers who took our jobs.
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