SINGAPORE, Oct 8 — Dyson Singapore is facing criticism in the manner it handled recent layoffs, giving just 24 hours notice to affected workers.

CNA quoted Professor Lawrence Loh of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School saying: "It is not just about the letter of the law, but the spirit of being a good employer. The company needs to upkeep its broader reputation.”

Singapore practices tripartism, where unions, employers and the government collaborate in ensuring the adoption of fair, responsible and progressive employment practices.

The 24 hours given gave the union little to no time to engage involved parties for discussion or to find a better way to handle the layoffs that came as a surprise to many workers.

Dyson had previously announced job cuts in Britain but had said in July that the Singapore office would not be directly impacted, which means that the recent Singapore layoffs had workers unprepared to lose their jobs at such short notice.

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had weighed in on the event saying that the period of notice given to the United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries was negotiable due to the affected workers not being part of the union.

However the union said Dyson did not provide more information on the layoffs, such as whether there was a cap on the compensation package that offered staff a month’s wages for every year worked.

Dyson has insisted that it had "respectfully informed” the union in advance and followed MOM guidelines.

In response to the layoffs, the electronics workers’ union said that it had escalated Dyson’s case to MOM.

This makes Dyson the second foreign company this year to be flagged to the ministry over a retrenchment matter.