身陷困境的索尼或将降薪

索尼（Sony Corp）明年可能下调员工平均工资，这对日本大公司而言颇为罕见，也和日本首相安倍晋三提出的通过涨薪来促进经济增长的想法背道而驰。

安倍连续第二年给大公司施加压力，要求它们在下一财年（从4月份开始）提高基本工资并增加投资，以便开启工资-利润-物价依次上涨的良性循环，进而结束日本长达15年的通缩。

日本最大的电子行业工会全日本电机电子信息关联产业工会联合会（JEIU）可能要求将基本工资提高2%以上，预计相关企业将普遍满足这项要求。但大多数索尼员工都不属于这个工会，而该公司885万日元（7.4万美元）的平均薪酬则是行业最高工资水平之一。

两年来，索尼已六次下调盈利预期，目前正在经历痛苦的重组。今年早些时候，这家曾经传奇的电子制造企业表示，将对薪资结构进行十年来的首次大调整，但未具体说明工资将出现怎样的变化。

索尼发言人菊池洋表示：“整个索尼都面临困境，目前我们正对多个方面进行研究。现有的人力资源体系建立于大约10年前，因此也到了重新评估的时候。”

在日本，减薪并不常见，特别是那些以终身雇佣为传统并且论资历支付薪酬的大公司。状况艰难时，雇主往往采取降低奖金和加班费，以及减少聘用应届毕业生的方法。

“安倍经济学”给日本经济带来了时断时续的复苏，尽管利润已经处于历史高点，索尼仍保持着防御型思维模式。9月份，该公司将全年净亏损预期从500亿日元上调至2300亿日元，并取消了分红，这是索尼上市以来首次做出这样的决定。

菊池洋称，尽管全公司的平均工资可能下调，但降薪细节尚未敲定。本次调整的重点是改善精英管理制度。也就是说，不担任管理职务但发挥领导作用的员工可能加薪，其他人的工资则可能下降。

她指出：“最重要的一点是，我们希望按照员工发挥的作用来支付薪水并评定其等级。这样应该可以提高成本效益。”

JEIU秘书长矢木孝幸表示，该组织尚未确立官方立场，但提高工资对日本经济很关键。包括汽车制造商在内的日本金属行业工会引导着工资调整幅度，JEIU可能像其一样要求将工资上调2%。

矢木孝幸对路透社（Reuters）记者说：“个人消费约占日本GDP的60%，需要予以提升。我们希望在谈判过程中和公司方面分享我们对这个问题的理解。”（财富中文网）

译者：Charlie

审稿：Vera Han

Sony Corp SNE 0.18% is likely to cut average pay next year in a rare move for a big Japanese company, and one that goes against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push for higher wages to get the economy moving.

For a second year, Abe is pressuring major companies to raise base pay in the fiscal year from April and boost investment, to kick-start a positive cycle of higher wages, profits and prices to end 15 years of deflation.

Japan’s main union of electronics workers is likely to demand a hike of over 2% in base pay, and companies are widely expected to comply. Most Sony workers, however, don’t belong to the Japanese Electrical Electronic & Information Union, and the company’s average pay of 8.85 million yen ($74,000) is among the industry’s highest.

Sony is going through a painful restructuring after cutting its earnings forecasts six times in two years, and the once-storied electronics maker said earlier this year it will overhaul its salary structure for the first time in a decade, without elaborating on expected changes in pay.

“We are at this time studying various issues as Sony overall is in a difficult situation,” spokeswoman Yo Kikuchi said. “The current human resources system was put in place around 10 years ago, so it was also time for a review.”

Pay cuts are unusual in Japan, especially at big companies with their tradition of jobs-for-life and seniority-based compensation. Employers typically adjust to hard times by trimming bonus and overtime pay and hiring fewer new graduates.

While Japan’s economy is fitfully recovering under ‘Abenomics’, with profits at record highs, Sony remains in a defensive mindset. In September, the company widened its annual net loss forecast to 230 billion yen from 50 billion yen and scrapped its dividend for the first time since going public.

Kikuchi said details of the pay cuts have not been decided, although the overall average is likely to decline. The overhaul will focus on improving meritocracy, meaning employees who do not hold management titles but are in leadership roles may be paid more, while some others could see a cut.

“First and foremost, we’re hoping employees can be paid and graded according to the roles they play. Cost effectiveness should improve as a result,” she said.

Takahiro Nonaka, general secretary of the electronics union, said it has not yet set its official position, but higher pay is crucial for the economy. The union is likely to demand the same 2% rise as Japan’s pace-setting metal workers’ union, which includes carmakers.

“Personal spending, which accounts for around 60% of gross domestic produt, needs to grow,” Nonaka told Reuters. “We want to share that understanding with companies as we negotiate.”