Workers at Diodes Zetex Semiconductors begin voting on strike action this Friday (25) August

Manufacturing workers building semiconductors for a range of markets will begin voting on strike action today (Friday 25 August) in a dispute over a real terms pay cut.

Despite £39 million in profit, Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Ltd in Oldham is offering its workers a paltry 5.5 per cent pay increase when inflation (RPI) is 9 per cent. Its parent company Diodes Incorporated made massive gross profits of £827 million in 2022, up 23 per cent.

Unite the Union, one of the largest in the UK fights for the jobs, pay, and conditions of working people, is balloting 126 members comprising of direct manufacturing operatives, professional engineers, and support staff. 23 workers are earning just the minimum wage.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This global giant is swimming in cash while the workers in Oldham are struggling to keep their heads above water. It’s no wonder they’re voting on strike action. This is a company which can easily afford to raise salaries.

“The workers have Unite’s full support throughout their campaign for a fair wage instead of a pay cut.”

The skilled manufacturing workers build leading, high quality semiconductor devices for industrial, automotive, computing, consumer electronics and communications markets. The company supplies components to a large number of electronics manufacturers and strike action will disrupt the supply chains of these manufacturers.

Unite regional officer Tracey Ashworth said: “The skilled manufacturing workers at Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Ltd have helped to make the company hugely profitable and successful. It’s only right that they get a fair share of the profits.

“There’s still time to negotiate and avoid industrial action. We hope management uses this time wisely.”

About Diodes

Diodes Incorporated (Nasdaq: DIOD), a Standard and Poor's Smallcap 600 and Russell 3000 Index company, is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality application-specific standard products within the broad discrete, logic, analog, and mixed-signal semiconductor markets. Diodes serves the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer electronics, and communications markets.

Their diverse product portfolio covers diodes; rectifiers; transistors; MOSFETs; SiC diodes and MOSFETs; protection devices; logic; voltage translators; amplifiers and comparators; sensors; and power management devices such as AC-DC converters, DC-DC switching, linear voltage regulators, voltage references, LED drivers, power switches, and voltage supervisors. We also have timing and connectivity solutions including clock ICs, crystal oscillators, PCIe packet switches, multi-protocol switches, interface products, and signal integrity solutions for high-speed signals.

Diodes’ corporate headquarters and Americas’ sales offices are located in Plano, Texas, and Milpitas, California. Design, marketing, and engineering centers are located in Plano, Milpitas, U.S.; Taipei, Taoyuan City, Zhubei City, Taiwan; Shanghai, Yangzhou, China; Oldham, England; and Neuhaus, Germany. Diodes’ wafer fabrication facilities are located in South Portland, Maine, U.S., Oldham, Greenock, UK; Shanghai and Wuxi, China; and Keelung and Hsinchu, Taiwan. Diodes has assembly and test facilities located in Shanghai, Chengdu, and Wuxi, China; Neuhaus, Germany; and Jhongli and Keelung, Taiwan. Additional engineering, sales, warehouse, and logistics offices are located in Taipei, Taiwan; Hong Kong; Oldham, UK; Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Yangzhou, China; Seongnam-si, South Korea; and Munich, Frankfurt, Germany; with support offices throughout the world.

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