Some affected Amazon employees in India reportedly broke down and were left crying in the workplace when they found out they had to go after the company revealed plans to lay off 17,000+ workers worldwide, including almost 1,000 in the said country.
Sad News
An Amazon India staff reported terrible images at workplaces, including individuals crying following the notification of layoffs, News18 reports.
The photos were posted on Grapevine, a community app for Indian professionals. The caption said that 75% of the staff had to leave the company.
"Although I'm in the remaining [25%], I don't feel motivated to work anymore. They are firing people in cabins. People are crying in the office," said the post.
Unfortunately, media outlet Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) was not able to confirm with any degree of certainty which Grapevine user was laid off during Amazon's last round of layoffs.
The user's screenshot was also shared on Corporate Chat India's Twitter.
Atmosphere at Amazon India as layoffs take place:
— Saumil Heard It (@OnTheGrapevine) January 13, 2023
“You can hear people breaking down and crying in the office”
"75% of my team is gone, I'm still employeed but don't feel like working anymore”
Link to post on Grapevine: https://t.co/Af6tAtOgLw pic.twitter.com/qqGpKYV2sd
Layoff Plans in India
New hires and veterans were affected by layoffs at Amazon India's operations in Bengaluru, Gurugram, and others.
The majority of the company's shutdowns have involved startups.
Amazon was served with a notice last week by the Labour Commission Office in Pune for their huge layoffs and voluntary separation policies.
The letter to the IT workers' union requested a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, to address the company's reported layoffs in India.
"Livelihood of 1000s of employees and their families has now been made vulnerable. As per procedures laid down under the Industrial Dispute Act, the employer cannot, without prior permission from the appropriate government, layoff an employee featuring on the muster rolls of the establishment," said Harpreet Singh Saluja, President of the employees' union Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES).
Prior to this, Amazon extended its voluntary departure policy to its staff in November of last year.
In the same month that Amazon India was accused of forcing out employees, the Union Labour Ministry issued a demand to the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner in Bengaluru.
It reads as follows: "You [Amazon] are therefore requested to attend this office with all relevant records in the matter either personally or through an authorized representative on the aforesaid date and time without fail."
According to NITES, Amazon has been accused of breaking labor regulations, prompting the organization to submit a complaint.
NITES wrote to Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav claiming that employees at Amazon were forcibly terminated.
Amazon's Latest Move
Earlier this month, Amazon stated its plans to lay off about 17,000 people. Numerous teams would be affected, primarily Amazon Stores, along with People, Experience, and Technology (PXT) groups.
As per Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's comments, the company is still in the midst of its yearly planning process, and he anticipates further layoffs in the first quarter of 2023.
