they should sack a few execs and halve the CEO's salary... that would probably save them more than docking their grunts 1 weeks pay.

I won't be at all surprised if next week there is a story saying the execs have increased their remuneration.

Skull and cross bones cos execs are like pirates these days - looting the shareholders they claim to represent.

Here's a perfect opportunity for JiM's fellow exec types to show how much they really value their workforce - how many "low-end" staff would need to take a week's unpaid leave to make the same difference as one Senior Executive? Not forgetting, of course, to add in the little "extras" that somehow seem to slip through the cracks... like a weeks-worth of expenses claims (if you're on a weeks' leave, how come *you* still get to use the corporate expense account anyway??)

Comparing the Dell jobcutting to HP/EDS is a bit unfair - Dell has only one Company Structure model to trim from (Senior Management-Middle Management-Workers) whereas HP now has two - but I wonder how many of the Management roles will be declared 'surplus to requirements' compared to the poor b***s who actually have to deal directly with the itrate customers (ever noticed that the "frontline" staff are always the first to go while Management seem to get moved sideways? As in, "We are looking to save money so we are getting rid of three support posts at k$30 a year, so we'll bring a Manager into the divison on k$80 a year to decide who...") (actually it was in the UK so it should really be in £ but I'm not sure what the exchange rate was at the time)

if ol' Mikey will also forfeit a weeks pay too!

Set up some job interviews!!!!!!

Why doesn't Dell' top management take a (say) 25% paycut and save the $3 billion in a year. Oh that's right, they deserve massive unwarrented salaries and screw the workers (and infact screw the buyers as well from my experience).

Bets for Dell not being Dell this time next year ?

Getting my coat (as are most of Dell's staff it seems)

Thats where our dell account manager dissappeared to..It wasnt the aliens after all.

But worth echoing...

Oh aye. Voluntary pay cuts.

You first, Mike.

"The unpaid leave will be strictly voluntary"

Mmmm, yep - dry that out and you could fertilise the Sahara.

You can probably bet a week's salary that those who don't volunteer, for whatever reason, will be the first in the firing line when, not if, layoffs occur.

I've been on the receiving end of crap like this in the past, and anyone who does swallow the 'it's completely voluntary' line is deluding themselves. However, what hasn't changed is the fact that the little people are paying the price for executive screwups.

This has been done before.

Get the mensch to give up pay and benefits, with vague promises that it will prevent layoffs, then lay them off anyway.

Let's see the execs give up some real money to save jobs.

Dell's message to its workers is "go away, we don't want you, we don't need you, and in fact you're a drain on our finances. Shoo."