Coronavirus: Flipkart to honour all job offers; says no salary cuts

Flipkart has assured employees that the Walmart-owned company will not slash salaries and will honour the job offers extended even as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts businesses in the country.

Its quarterly townhall, virtually conducted on Thursday given the nationwide lockdown, saw the participation of over 8,000 employees of the ecommerce major.

During the townhall, Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy assured staff that the company remains committed to its employees, vendors and seller-partners, according to sources.

He also said there would be no pay cuts and the company will honour all job offers made, including those for internships.

"A crisis is a great time to show your statesmanship, commitment and character. This is the time to contribute to nation building...We are honouring all commitments, campus placements, and also looking at innovative ways of virtual inductions and onboarding," he was quoted as saying.

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Krishnamurthy also exhorted the employees to follow the safety measures advised by the government to protect themselves and their families.

An emailed query to Flipkart did not elicit any response.

Ecommerce companies have been struggling to deliver orders since the government ordered 21-day lockdown on March 24 to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Even though the government allowed delivery of essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment through ecommerce, players had complained of their delivery staff being hassled by police.

With local authorities shutting down warehouses and stopping trucks from crossing state borders, ecommerce players have seen their operations getting disrupted. The companies have resumed operations and working to complete pending orders.

Flipkart had temporarily suspended operations last week and later resumed services the same day after assurance of safe passage of its supply chain and delivery executives by local law enforcement authorities. However, many of the household items still remain unavailable on the platform.

With businesses halted, there are concerns that companies could resort to salary cuts and even retrenchment to contain costs. There have been reports that many businesses, including tech-led firms, have already rolled out pay cuts amid no business flowing in on account of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier in the day, online grocery platform Bigbasket said it is looking at hiring 10,000 people for its warehouses and last-mile delivery to clear pending orders quickly and meet the spike in orders on account of the nationwide lockdown.

(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)