IBM redundancies could hit 16,000 this year

Union representatives have expressed fears that IBM could lay off more than 16,000 staff in the US this year

Union officials are estimating that IBM will shed 16,000 jobs in the US this year and the total may be even higher.

Lee Conrad, national coordinator for the Alliance@IBM union, said that so far this year IBM has shed about 10,000 jobs in the US, with the bulk of them being outsourced to other countries around the world where wages are lower.

Earlier in the year he predicted that losses would exceed 16,000 this year but today he told V3.co.uk that the total could be even higher than he initially feared.

“Could it go higher? Certainly,” he said.

“Anyone in IBM services is vulnerable to losing their jobs to offshoring. Hardware types are vulnerable to seeing their units sold off. Software can be developed anywhere.”

He said that rather than announce the redundancies the company is making small cuts here and there over a long period of time to hide the effects.

In one case the union had heard from an employee who was citing hundreds of layoffs from IBM's offices in Dallas and Atlanta, with the jobs going to Egypt, the Phillipines, and Manpower in
Boulder, Colorado.

“We are outraged that IBM keeps all this silent,” he said.

“The country has a right to know how many jobs are being cut and moved out of the country. IBM needs to halt this destruction of good paying jobs.”

IBM did not respond to requests for comment.