두산인프라코어, 사원-대리급에도 희망퇴직 신청받아

Published : Oct 4, 2015 - 16:13 Updated : Oct 4, 2015 - 20:48

중국건설 시장 장기침체로 수년째 실적부진에 시달리던 두산인프라코어가 지난달 대리 및 사원 급 직원들에게서도 희망퇴직을 받은 사실이 뒤늦게 알려졌다.

‘‘사측은 사원-대리급 사무직 직원에게 연차에 따라 연봉의 1.5배에서 두배를 지급할 것을 지난달 제안했으나 신청자가 몰리자 일부는 보류했다”고 익명을 요청한 한 관계자가 지난 3일 밝혔다.

이 관계자는 “9월 2째주에 임원이 각자 담당하는 팀의 일부 사원들을 불러 비공식적으로 희망퇴직을 제안했다”고 밝히며 “일부는 14일에 일괄적으로 퇴직 처리가 됐다”고 덧붙였다.

그는 또 “고용 시장 환경이 열악함에도 불구하고 많은 신청자가 몰렸다”며 회사를 바라보는 사원들의 불안한 심경을 전했다.

두산그룹의 대표 계열사이자 국내 대표 건설 중장비 제조업체인 두산인프라코어는 올해 들어서만 두 차례의 구조조정을 진행했다. 지난 달 17일에는 사무직 과장급 이상 임직원을 대상으로 200명 규모의희망퇴직 신청을 받았으며 지난 2월에도 이미 200명에 달하는 임직원 구조조정을 실시했다.

이러한 움직임은 최근 중국 건설시장의 불황으로 인해 전년 대비 46%나 줄어든 실적의 영향이 큰 것으로 보인다. 올 2분기 두산인프라코어의 건설기계부문의 매출과 영업이익은 작년 동기 대비 각각 6.3%, 11.7% 떨어진 1조 9795억 원과 1289억 원을 기록했다.

(코리아헤럴드 석지현기자 monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)

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Doosan Infracore to cut junior workforce

Doosan Infracore, the second largest affiliate of South Korean industrial giant Doosan Group, has recently asked junior-level employees with less than four-year work experience to retire voluntarily as part of its restructuring efforts, according to an internal source.

“Corporate executives had summoned the junior staffs individually in the second week of September and some of them left the firm en bloc on Sep. 14,’’ an insider of the construction equipment maker told The Korea Herald under the condition of anonymity.

“This all happened in less than a week. People are taking the offer seriously even when they know it’s hard to find a new job amid poor job market conditions,” the 32-year-old employee at Doosan Infracore said.

Furthermore, the source added that efforts to cut salaries of employees are also underway to lower its debts.

As of the end of the second quarter, the debt ratio of the construction equipment provider soared to 292 percent.

The prolonged downturn of the Chinese construction market and falling oil prices has dealt a blow to profits of Doosan Infracore.

The company’s operating profit plunged 11.7 percent on-year to 128.5 billion won ($108.6 million)and sales plummeted 6.3 percent to 1.78 trillion won in the second quarter.

The firm enjoyed its heyday in the early 2000s, buoyed by fast growing demand in China. In 2001, the firm’s China sales hit 2 trillion won, but the figure fell sharply to nearly 800 billion won last year.

Due to the staggering profits, the company decided to conduct a voluntary retirement scheme last month. Under the program to cut 200 workers above manager levels, almost half of the executive-level officials were said to have left the company.

Despite the self-rescue programs, including job cuts at all levels, Doosan Infracore has been seeing its stock price nosedive recently, from this year’s highest of 13,500 won in March to 6,590 won last Friday.

SK Securities on Tuesday expected the firm’s third-quarter operating profit to plunge 44.7 percent to 54.9 billion won.

The brokerage firm also lowered the firm’s target stock price to 10,000 won from 13,500 won, mentioning poor sales of construction equipment in emerging markets including China.

By Suk Gee-hyun(monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)