Sinovel Wind Group Co, the world's second largest wind turbine maker by production, told the Global Times Monday that more staff will be informed of a "forced vacation" due to the sluggish wind power industry, despite an earlier protest by the workers.
Some 407 staff members, or 14 percent of the total staff, have been asked since November 15 to temporarily stop work with a monthly wage of 1,080 yuan ($173.30), 80 percent of Beijing's minimum salary of 1,260 yuan, a staff member from the public relations department of Sinovel told the Global Times Monday on condition of anonymity.
The decision involves all departments and will continue to affect more staff as the firm faces falling domestic demand and shrinking profits, he said. "We are still not sure when to end this 'forced vacation'."
The uncertain downtime and low wages aroused dissatisfaction among affected staff who claimed at a protest outside the company's headquarters in Beijing on November 27 that Sinovel is firing workers in a "disguised way."
"The human resources department has set up a special team to stabilize the staff's mood after the work stoppage and we are actively seeking new sales channels to relieve our inventory," said Sinovel Monday via e-mail, adding that their current business focus is on the domestic market.
The overseas business of Sinovel suffered a setback after the company was sued in July by Brazilian power company Desenvix for allegedly stealing some software codes from US components maker AMSC. However, the company's e-mail said it is "still ambitious about the overseas market."
Like Sinovel, many wind product manufacturers around the world face troubles after a period of rapid development.
Cumquat market in S China's Guangxi