As Amazon announced layoffs of 18,000 employees worldwide, including nearly 1,000 in India, reports surfaced that some of the affected employees broke down and were left “crying in the office” when they heard they were being asked to to go
On Grapevine, a community app for Indian professionals, an Amazon India employee posted sad scenes in the offices, including people crying after the layoff announcement.
“About 75 percent of my team is gone. Even though I’m in the other 25 percent, I no longer feel motivated to work out. They release people in cabins. People are crying in the office,” the employee wrote. .
IANS could not independently verify the Grapevine user affected by the Amazon layoffs.
Corporate Chat India also posted a screenshot of the user saying:
The layoffs have affected both freshers and seasoned employees at Amazon India offices in Bengaluru, Gurugram and other locations.
The company has mostly closed businesses that are in the early stages of development.
Last week, the Labor Commission office in Pune issued a notice to Amazon regarding the mass layoffs and voluntary separation policy.
The letter to the IT workers’ union demanded a joint discussion on January 17 on the company’s alleged layoffs in India.
“The livelihoods of thousands of workers and their families have now become vulnerable. According to the procedures laid down in the Industrial Disputes Act, an employer cannot, without the prior permission of the relevant government, dismiss an employee who is on the enterprise lists. Harpreet Singh Saluja, president of the Presidents Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) union, said in a statement.
In November of last year, Amazon offered a voluntary separation policy to its employees.
The same month, the Union Labor Ministry summoned Amazon India to appear before the Deputy Chief Labor Commissioner in Bengaluru in connection with an alleged involuntary termination by the company.
“Therefore, you (Amazon) are requested to attend this office with all relevant records regarding the matter in person or through an authorized representative on the date and time specified without fail,” the ministry’s notice said.
The development comes after a complaint filed by the NITES employee union, in which it accused Amazon of violating labor laws.
In a letter to Union Labor Minister Bhupender Yadav, NITES alleged that Amazon employees were forcibly removed from the company.
Earlier this month, Amazon confirmed it was laying off nearly 18,000 employees, and several teams will be affected, most notably Amazon Stores and the People, Experience and Technology (PXT) organizations.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a statement that they are not done with the annual planning process, as previously noted, and “I would expect more role cuts in early 2023.”
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