Page 124 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

0
1
Reorganization and Restructuring 105
5
The nature of the announcement was not revealed to the
workers, but announcing the meeting seven hours in advance
meant that the period from 7 am until 4 pm became the most
critical time in terms of media leaks. Anticipating that the media
would be informed of the meeting during this period proved to
be correct. Within hours of the meeting being announced calls
were received at the plant from local media. One of the calls
was from a local freelance journalist who was a ‘stringer’ for
some of the national media, which quickly followed up on the
breaking story.
All media calls were routed to the external public relations
consultant who was able to confirm that a meeting was being
held but not its nature. He was, however, able to provide back-
ground information on the company and its contribution to the
Irish economy and the local community.
Although the workers at the plant were prepared for a major
announcement there was still shock at the meeting when they
were told of the decision to close. As the meeting was in
progress, a full statement was issued to the local and national
media, most of whom had sent journalists and reporters to the
plant.
Following the meeting the Managing Director, Kenji
Yamashiro, and the Company Secretary, Joe Carroll, held a
press conference in the grounds of the plant for the media and
outlined the reasons and the timetable for closure. Interviews
were also conducted with trade union officials and employees
leaving the meeting. The overwhelming message that came
from these interviews was that closure was a result of global
market conditions and not from the way the plant was managed
or the quality of the work. There were also vivid television pic-
tures of workers saying that while they were obviously shocked
and disappointed they paid tribute to the company as being ‘a
great place to work’.
The announcement in February gave the end of September as
the final closure date. Immediately after the announcement, the
company began negotiations with staff representatives and insti-
gated an outplacement programme that provided for many dif-
ferent staff needs. The programme provided support in
preparing CVs and facilitated a job fair, set up in the plant,
where companies seeking people with the skills used in NEC
Semiconductors could interview prospective staff. Seminars in
money management were arranged to help people see the