Singapore trade union criticises Lazada’s ‘unacceptable’ move to cut jobs in a haste
- The National Trades Union Congress said the e-commerce firm did not consult it before carrying out the retrenchment exercise
- Employees said some people were left in tears by the news and were baffled by the sudden announcement
“The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and our affiliated union, Food Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) are deeply disappointed that Lazada has initiated a retrenchment exercise without notifying and consulting FDAWU, given that Lazada is unionised under FDAWU,” said NTUC in a statement.
The FDAWU has written to Lazada stating that such a move is “unacceptable”, and that the matter has been escalated to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
CNA understands that the lay-offs – which began on Wednesday morning – are ongoing. Employees said some people were left in tears by the news and were baffled by the sudden announcement.
A Lazada spokesperson said on Wednesday evening that the company is “making proactive adjustments to transform our workforce”, but did not answer questions about the extent of the lay-offs and the reasons for the retrenchments.
CNA has contacted Lazada and MOM for their responses to NTUC’s statement.