Pics: Joshwa D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JD)

Mangaluru, Feb 19: The employees of Mangaluru distribution office of online retailer Amazon on Thursday February 18 staged a protest at the office premises over the sudden termination of two of the employees. They also expressed doubts about the operations of their recruiting consultancy IKYA, particularly the way in which the termination had been done.

It is learnt that two of the employees were given termination letters by IKYA Consultancy situated in Bengaluru, with an offer to provide alternative jobs along with one month's salary. The termination was even before their contract ended, and reason given was 'business complexity'.

What raised suspicion was that the officers of the consultancy had invited the employees to a lodge opposite AJ Hospital instead of discussing the matter in the Amazon office in Mulihithlu.

The employees also alleged that the officials had blackmailed them into signing on blank paper in return for details of their next job and the appointment letter. It is alleged that even in the letter, a copy of which is with daijiworld, the employee was first made to sign a blank paper and later the details were printed on it. The protestors further claimed that the salaries of the two employees was withheld for three months and only after they signed the blank paper was the salary given to them. Now stating the identity cards of the employees are expired, the officials are inviting the employees one by one to the lodge.

The 27 employees with the fear of losing their job protested against IKYA and urged the consultancy to let them continue in the same company (Amazon) and in the same job. They also said that such an offer of termination was given to three other employees a few months ago, but following opposition by the workers the consultancy gave it up. "Today if we listen to them and sign on the blank paper we will be made to work there for three months. And if we are terminated even from there we have no alternative. Since they have not disclosed any details about the job and the appointment procedure and told us to sign on the blank paper, we feel there is something fishy. Even during our recruitment we were made to sign on an application form even without getting a chance to read it. They just call us to the lodge even without disclosing the purpose behind it," they alleged.

When contacted, manager Vinayak of Amazon Transportation Pvt Ltd said that the employees were being terminated as there was reduction in sales. "This is happening across the state. The employees are also given alternate jobs along with two month-salary but they are not ready to co-operate," he said.

However, the employees dismissed the claim and said, "The sales have not gone down. We have even gone all the way to Manipal at 9 pm to deliver the parcels. We deliver more than 120 parcels a day on a regular basis. We feel even the HR and other officials are involved in the conspiracy."

The Pandeshwar police visited the spot and requested the employees not to take law into their hands. They later on called both the parties, that is, the employees and the consultancy officials to the police station and had a word with them. No complaint has been filed by either of the parties as of now.

IKYA Consultancy's Rajesh Pandey was unavailable for comment despite repeated efforts to contact him.

The employees of Amazon however have decided to intensify their protest.