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To: DJBEINO who wrote (9546)	11/6/2001 9:57:32 PM
From: DJBEINO	Respond to of 9582

Toshiba to idle 12,000 chip (DRAM) staff for 2-4 days TOKYO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp , hit hard by the global info-tech slowdown, said on Wednesday it would idle 12,000 workers in its semiconductor division for two to four days in November and December in a bid to cut costs. The lay-offs at three of Toshiba's four chip plants -- in Himeji and Yokkaichi, western Japan and Oita, southwestern Japan -- will not affect output or earnings targets, Toshiba said. The Yokkaichi plant, which makes dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, will undergo the longest lay-off of four days. DRAM chips have been especially hard hit by in the slowdown. ``We are making efforts to slash costs in our workforce and to cut high volumes of electricity during those days,'' a spokesman said. Toshiba's fourth plant, on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, will not be affected because it is still running at 80 percent capacity, the spokesman said. Sales and planning staff for chip-related divisions at the company's Tokyo headquarters and other offices will also be affected. Each worker will take a 10 percent pay cut while off the job. The move is the latest in a string of temporary lay-off plans announced by Japanese chipmakers, including NEC Corp and Fujitsu Ltd , and follows similar moves in South Korea. South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor Inc said last month it would require 14,000 workers to take one month's unpaid leave while chip packaging and foundry firm Amkor Technology Korea decided in August to extend holidays for its 8,600 staff. The world's major chipmakers have also announced a series of permanent job cuts. The idling is Toshiba's first since it temporarily laid off workers during the 1974 oil shock. Last month, Toshiba said it expected an operating loss of 110 billion yen ($908.2 million) and a net loss of 200 billion yen for the current business year to March 2002. It revised down its forecasts of a break-even result for operating profit and a net loss of 115 billion yen. Toshiba said it expected an operating loss of 150 billion yen on its semiconductor operations alone. Toshiba shares were down 2.2 percent at 488 yen at 0130 GMT. The Nikkei average was down 1.8 percent at 10,442.46. ($1 equals 121.11 yen) biz.yahoo.com