RETRENCHMENTS in the electronics sector are expected to total 1,000 in the last three months of the year, NTUC deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob disclosed yesterday.

But their bosses have been largely exemplary in giving the labour movement sufficient notice about the layoffs, she said, without identifying the companies.

The responsible action taken by the employers gives union officials enough time and wriggle room to plan retraining, or to help affected workers transit into new jobs or sectors.

'These are good examples of companies giving us advance notice,' said Madam Halimah. Employers who are considering retrenchments in January, for instance, have also already informed the union.

Labour chief Lim Swee Say recently criticised DBS Bank for failing to consult its staff union before retrenching 900 workers, and for not exploring other cost-cutting measures first.

Madam Halimah yesterday reiterated his point that other cost-cutting measures should be looked at first, when she spoke to reporters at a family day outing for members of the United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries (UWEEI) at the Singapore Zoo.

Temporary shutdowns are one possible measure, said Madam Halimah, the UWEEI's executive secretary.

'Usually, factories take advantage of the festive season to have a plant shutdown. This time, it may be bit longer.'

Tripartite Guidelines on issues like pay are clearly established for such shutdowns, plus shorter work weeks and temporary layoffs, she noted.

Like her, labour leaders have noticed that bosses are supporting the new two-

year Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience, even as they brace themselves for the possibility of more job losses ahead.

NTUC vice-president Cyrille Tan, who is UWEEI's general secretary, said Singapore is unique in the way that unions join forces with employers to retrain workers. This way, companies can emerge quicker when the financial crisis stabilises.

Union member Ng Thian Agen, 40, an operator at a wafer fabrication plant, is grateful there is still work at her firm.

Her draughtsman husband Loh Kar Chye, 45, recalled that he took a small pay cut in 2000: 'It was better than being jobless...Now we teach our three sons that earning money is not simple.'

The UWEEI billed the day as a time to promote family bonding, as strong families will ride out the recession better.

An estimated 90,000 people work in the electronics industry. Nearly 53,000 are unionised.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who chairs the union's council of advisers, joined 10,000 union and family members at the zoo event.