American-owned business leaves over 400 workers jobless

MANILA, Philippines — More than 400 workers have been left jobless and unpaid by an American businessman, who was allegedly forced to close his shop in Manila due to bankruptcy, a company employee claimed in a statement on Thursday.

Laurence Kevin Fishman, chief executive officer and owner of Skytech International Dental Laboratories in Sta Mesa, Manila, allegedly sent an e-mail from the United States last Tuesday, informing their senior officers based here that he would close shop effective August 25 “due to bankruptcy,” said Wilfredo Galapon, a senior employee in the company.

“It happened so fast. No clues, no notices. And we only learned about it through email,” said Galapon.

Even Fishman’s executive vice president for Manila operations, Wilma Ledler, who received the e-mail, was also shocked with the decision, he said.

Galapon said the owner has left 416 workers, including him, with unpaid salaries and severance pays amounting to at least P50 million.

Fishman also allegedly left a slew of unpaid obligations, including back rental of P1.7 million, P500 million in electricity bills and obligations to local suppliers also reaching millions.

Because of this unpaid rental, the owner of the building that the company was occupying has since barred the employees from accessing their offices as of Thursday.

But Galapon said they did not believe in Fishman’s claims that he was losing money since the company employs three shifts of technicians practically 24 hours a day.

He said Fishman could be just retaliating against them after a dismissed employee filed a case against him last May before the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation.

Skytech engages in the production of dental prosthetic. It has laboratories in Vietnam and China and is headquartered in Los Angeles , California under the corporate name of Trident Dental Laboratories. –Maila Ager, INQUIRER.net