Transcript
TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: It all depends on the needs of their customers right now, especially in the operation. So the date and the month, from now on until 2017, they don't know. And what they were telling the media yesterday is that it's fair for them right now to announce it earlier, for the benefit of their current employees.
INDIRA STEWART: And the decision to shut down is partly due to the Holden operation in Australia closing down as well?
TA: Exactly. That's the main reason. Well, you know the president was saying that they've been trying in the last two years to find another way to save the Samoa operation. But they couldn't find any other options to keep the company going from the operation right now to another operation. So now they've come to the final decision to close it down.
IS: OK. And is there any kind of discussion on what kind of impact this is going to have on the community? This is going to have a huge impact in the country isn't it?
TA: Oh yes, it's going to have a huge impact on the country especially in revenues for the local economy here. A huge impact also for the economy of these employees who are currently employed by Yazaki Samoa. But I think that's the reason why the president was telling us yesterday that the pay packet they are putting together from now on until the future weeks, they're going to have one on one talk with each employee. They want to talk to the employees from now on, to make sure the pay package they are providing will make them survive for how many months, we don't know. But also to make sure the employees, the training to up-skill them, will give them another chance to find another job somewhere else here. He said it's going to be a significant amount of money that's going to be involved. How much of that significant amount, we don't know. Because each employee is going to get a final pay package according to their years of service and according to their performance and all these years that they've been employed.
IS: This announcement is certainly going to add pressure to unemployment rates. Do you think the government will be able to meet the increased demand for these jobs that will be needed?
TA: The Prime Minister in previous public comments, he was touching on that issue of the government looking for other options. The building the company is now using belongs to the government, so once the Yazaki is going to close down, it's going to be vacant it's going to be closed down so that's the government's homework right now is to go look for another company to do operations, using not only the land but the building that's there to make sure more people will be employed.
