Lockdown & Lay-Offs

As India fights against COVID-19, another crisis is just around the corner — jobs and salary cuts

- Aishwarya Paliwal, Kamlesh Damodar Sutar, Gopi Maniar, Manjeet Sehgal

Despite repeated assurances by different sectors and a request by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, job loss and salary cuts are hitting Indians hard.

During his address to the nation on Tuesday, Prime Minister had asked companies to make sure they retain their employees and avoid job loss. But it looks like industries and owners are turning a deaf ear to this request. Manoj, 28, working in Bengaluru was shocked when he was asked to leave by the Human Resource Department of his company. He now states at a bleak future.

“I was given my termination letter by the HR, without any explanation. We were just told to leave. These are difficult times, without a job it will become very difficult for people to sustain. Who will give jobs to the unemployed in this scenario?” Manoj asked.

But Manoj isn’t alone. Many across the country have been handed the pink slip. Another private company in Gurugram asked its employees to go on leave. In a statement, the company said that its business was down over 90 per cent and the ‘focus today is on maintaining a viable business that can survive this worldwide economic disaster’.

Big corporate houses too are not immune to job loss and salary cuts. Bajaj Auto, India’s third-biggest two-wheeler manufacturer, has asked its factory employees to take a 10 per cent pay cut if production doesn’t resume on April 21, which employees have agreed to.

“We have agreed for a 10 per cent pay cut because we want everyone’s job to be safe. It is better to take a pay cut than lose jobs,” said Dilip Pawar, president, Bajaj Auto Union.