60,000 factory workers fired

60,000 factory workers fired

BATAM, Riau: About 60,000 workers were laid off after 14
foreign-owned factories in Batam stopped operations over the last
year in the wake of the worldwide economic slowdown.

Abdullah Goze, an official with the Batam Chamber of Commerce,
said the factory closures resulted from a decline in global
demand for electronics goods.

The closed factories, most producing electronics, were among
90 foreign-owned factories operating in the Batamindo industrial
park.

However, the Batam Authority played down the closures, saying
they were offset by the new investments the island city had
approved over the course of the year.

"The Batam Authority has approved 74 new investments from
January to October this year," said Fathullah, the spokesman for
the Batam Authority.

Domestic and foreign investment in Batam totals US$8.3
billion. -- Antara