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Guess what happened at Lazada? They went on a ‘surprise!’ layoff spree in Singapore and nearby areas, completely forgetting to give a heads-up to the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Food, Drinks, and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) – their very own union. Talk about awkward! Consequently, the once shining star of regional eCommerce, Lazada, now finds its reputation in a bit of a pickle.
Remember when words like “products,” “innovative,” and “market” used to float around Lazada’s brand cloud? Well, post-layoffs, it’s more like a storm cloud with words like “retrenchment,” “layoffs,” “union,” “baffled,” and “crying” raining down. This dramatic shift came hot on the heels of FDAWU and NTUC’s announcement about making headway with the recent layoffs at Lazada. Talk about timing!
Over the weekend, NTUC and FDAWU put their heads together and issued a joint statement (because two heads are better than one, right?). They mentioned that Lazada had pinky-promised to work closely with FDAWU, giving them all the juicy details needed to ensure the layoffs were as fair as a carnival game.
Here’s the kicker: FDAWU noted that Lazada said ‘Oops, our bad’ for not looping them in beforehand. They’ve agreed to be besties in future negotiations, putting workers’ interests first. Lazada even threw in a promise to chat with FDAWU before any future ‘surprise parties’. Employees affected by the layoffs got a parting gift of two weeks’ salary for each year of service – sort of like a ‘thanks for playing’ prize.
But FDAWU, not totally thrilled with this, is haggling for extra goodies for the eligible workers. The Ministry of Manpower is playing referee in these discussions.
This juicy update followed FDAWU and NTUC’s earlier ‘We’re not mad, just disappointed’ statement about Lazada’s ninja-style layoffs. FDAWU even tattled to the Manpower Ministry and wrote a ‘Dear Lazada’ letter expressing their not-so-happy feelings. NTUC chimed in, supporting FDAWU and the affected employees, and reminding everyone that when it comes to layoffs, it’s super important for companies to buddy up with their unions. This ensures everything’s as fair and square as a game of tic-tac-toe, especially for the Singaporean workforce. Lazada, you’ve got some ‘splaining to do!
