Toyota to adopt work-sharing in 6 U.S. factories from April+

NEW YORK, Feb. 12 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it will adopt a work-sharing program for about
12,000 employees based at six U.S. factories from around April as it struggles
to protect jobs amid production cuts to address the sharp downturn in the
global auto industry.

It will be the first time the Japanese auto giant has fully adopted a
work-sharing arrangement in which workers are paid less for fewer working
hours.
''We hope the new measures will help us adjust while protecting jobs,'' Jim
Wiseman, vice president of external affairs for Toyota Motor Engineering &
Manufacturing North America, said in a statement.
''This philosophy of shared sacrifice is the best approach for us,'' he said.
The new measures will be applied at six U.S. factories including three assembly
plants in the state of Kentucky and elsewhere. Affected workers will be paid
for 72 hours rather than 80 during a two-week pay period while others may opt
for a voluntary exit or early retirement program to pursue career opportunities
elsewhere, the company said.
To cope with shrinking auto demand and deteriorating business conditions,
Toyota has been rapidly reducing temporary jobs in Japan. But it hopes to stem
labor costs and avoid further layoffs by adopting work-sharing measures
overseas, company officials said.
After overtaking General Motors Corp. as the world's largest automaker in 2008
by sales volume, Toyota is taking pains to protect employment at its U.S.
plants in a bid to avert any new frictions with the U.S. auto industry, they
said.
In addition to the work-sharing arrangement, Toyota said it will increase
non-production days in April at North American factories, forgo executive and
salaried bonuses, and carry out executive pay cuts for employees in the region.
Toyota's new car sales in the United States -- its key market -- dropped nearly
32 percent in January from a year earlier. The automaker anticipates a group
net loss of 350 billion yen for the year to March.
==Kyodo