Pune labour commissioner summons Amazon over alleged layoffs: Report

The Labour Commission Office in Pune has sent a summons to ecommerce giant Amazon and NITES (Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate) regarding its mass layoffs and voluntary separation policy.

The letter to the IT employees' union has asked for a joint discussion on January 17 over the alleged layoffs by the company in India and its voluntary separation policy, several media outlets reported.

According to the letter, the assistant labour commissioner has requested Amazon and union representatives to be present at the commissioner’s office on the day at 3 PM, when it will take the necessary action following an enquiry on "unethical and illegal" layoffs at the online retailer.

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Amazon employs about 100,000 workers in India. The latest plan to cut headcount at Amazon’s Indian offices is part of the company’s broader plan to chop off its headcount by 18,000 globally.

“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, NITES, in a statement.

Amazon is yet to officially comment on this matter.

In November 2022, Amazon issued a voluntary separation policy offer to its employees, which allowed employees to resign voluntarily. Employees who do not apply for the policy may be "included in workforce optimization announced by the company," the online retailer said.