Hydis Technologies is a Korean TFT-LCD panel maker which was purchased by a Taiwan-based E-ink(electronic ink). In January 2015, E-ink decided to stop the operation of Hydis Technologies after absorbing technologies from the newly purchased company.
In March 2015, following the company closure procedures, 266 employees in production, sales and patents jobs tendered their resignation. However, Hydis Technologies laid off 79 workers who refused their voluntary resignation. Because of this, E-ink can not avoid the criticism of technology cut and run to Taiwan.
In November 2015, due to the Hydis Technologies' outsourcing plan of the facility maintenance work, 12 workers in facility maintenance jobs agreed to tender their voluntary resignation and in January this year Hydis Technologies after all laid off 15 workers who refused their voluntary resignation.
Workers and their trade union resisted the disposition of Hydis Technologies by E-ink. 15 laid-off workers filed an unfair dismissal and unfair labor practice remedy application to the Kyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission.
The decision was, however, in favor of the Hydis Technologies for the reason that the lay-off was properly made in accordance with the lay-off provisions for urgent managerial difficulties regulated in the Labor Standards Act.
15 laid-off workers appealed to the National Labor Relations Commission(NLRC) which on August 9 overturned the decision of the Kyeonggi Regional Labor Relations that Hydis Technologies is accountable for the unfair dismissal.
However, the NLRC upheld the regional commission's decision that the allegation of unfair labor practice against Hydis Technologies is dismissed.