EDS' black day as worker attempts suicide

A sacked EDS Australia worker attempted suicide on Monday at the company's Burwood, Sydney facility after learning of his retrenchment, EDS confirmed today.

"We regrettably confirm that an incident took place at one of our sites on Monday, November 17, involving an employee of EDS Australia who had been notified of redundancy," the company said in a statement today.

EDS on Monday retrenched an undisclosed number of staff at the site as part of its plans with new parent Hewlett-Packard, to cut about seven per cent of their combined Australian workforce of about 6,000 staff over the next three years. Emotions had been running high at the facility, according to sources.

"The employee in question was taken to hospital for evaluation, and his family was immediately notified of the situation," the company's statement continued. "EDS also took immediate measures to deal with the impact on employees and teams on site."

The company said it understood it was a "very difficult time" for its employees, and was doing the best it could to deal with the situation "responsibly, promptly and compassionately." It asked the press to respect the worker's privacy to allow him to recuperate.

"EDS is doing everything we can to assist the family of the affected employee, as well as his remaining colleagues at EDS at this difficult time. We wish our colleague a full and quick recovery," the company said.