Amazon To Lay Off 9,000 More Employees: CEO

Amazon To Layoff 18,000 Employees

Amazon on Thursday said it will lay off over 18,000 employees from its workforce citing economic uncertainty.

“Between the reductions, we made in November and the ones we’re sharing today, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles. Several teams are impacted; however, the majority of role eliminations are in our Amazon Stores and PXT organizations,” CEO Andy Jassy said in a statement.
“S-team and I are deeply aware that these role eliminations are difficult for people, and we don’t take these decisions lightly or underestimate how much they might affect the lives of those who are impacted.”

Jassy added Amazon is working to support those who are affected by providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support.

In November 2022 too, Amazon reduced staff size by approximately 10,000, especially in the Devices and Books businesses, and also announced a voluntary reduction offer for some employees in its People, Experience, and Technology (PXT) roles.

During the November layoff, the company indicated that there would be more role reductions in early 2023.

“This year’s review has been more difficult given the uncertain economy and that we’ve hired rapidly over the last several years,” the statement by CEO added, explaining the rationale for the downsizing of the human resources.

The company will communicate with impacted employees or (representative bodies for Europe) starting January 18.

“Amazon has weathered uncertain and difficult economies in the past, and we will continue to do so. These changes will help us pursue our long-term opportunities with a stronger cost structure; however, I’m also optimistic that we’ll be inventive, resourceful, and scrappy in this time when we’re not hiring expansively and eliminating some roles,” Jassy further said in the statement. (ANI)

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BJP's Yaqoob Appeals Kashmiri Pandit Employees To Return To Valley | Lokmarg

BJP’s Yaqoob Appeals Kashmiri Pandit Employees To Return To Valley

BJP leader Malik Yaqoob on Monday appealed to fear-stricken Kashmiri pandit employees to return to the valley and assured them of full protection of their lives.

Speaking to ANI, Malik Yaqoob from Srinagar said, “They (Kashmiri Pandits) do not need to fear. Such kinds of threats keep coming. We have faced a lot of threats so far. We have been enduring these threats for the last 30 years”.
“Several workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party were martyred. But we are the citizens of this nation. We have made sacrifices for this nation. We are even ready to sacrifice our children for this nation. We are ready to sacrifice our life for this nation,” Yaqoob said.

Yaqoob was responding to threats allegedly received by Kashmiri pandits from TRF, a terror organization.

‘I appeal to employees of the pandit community to return to Kashmir. The people of Kashmir stand behind you. The Sikh community is with you. Every person is with you. There is no need to fear,” he added.

Yaqoob claimed such threats are a part of the propaganda of Pakistan.

‘Kashmiri Pandits have to show some courage. These threats are just another propaganda of Pakistan. It is a conspiracy not only of Pakistan but of several countries. It is on the agenda of Pakistan which is responsible for killings in Kashmir. Many innocent people including pandits and Sarpanches have been killed. I salute their sacrifices,” Yaqoob added.

The BJP leader assured Kashmir pandit employees that the administration of Jammu and Kashmir is standing with them.

“The BJP government is with you. LG administration of Jammu and Kashmir is with you. Every Muslim in Kashmir is wishing to see you performing your duty. To see you residing at your place of accommodation whether it is in colonies or anywhere,” he said.

“It is not just TRF, but other terror organizations like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba that have killed people in Kashmir. If we get bogged down by fear, we would not able to walk out. The more you fear, the more you will grow weaker,’ he added.

Malik added that Kashmir is in a state of war fuelled by Pakistan for the last 30 years

“It is not India of 1962. Today we can challenge countries like the USA, China, and Russia. So, you do not need to fear anyone. Kashmir is in a state of war started by Pakistan for the last 30 years. It is the duty of the administration of Jammu and Kashmir and the police to give you protection, he added. (ANI)

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Employees Provident Fund members

Employee Provident Fund Adds 16.8L Members In Sept 2022

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) provisional payroll data released on Sunday showed that the EPFO has added 16.82 lakh net subscribers in the month of September 2022, which is an increase of 9.14 percent in net membership as compared to the corresponding month during the last year, 2021.

As compared to the monthly average that was recorded during the last fiscal, the net enrolment during the month is 21.85 percent higher.

According to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, around 2861 new establishments have started complying with the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 ensuring social security cover to their employees.

“Of the total 16.82 lakh members added during the month, around 9.34 lakh new members have come under the coverage of EPFO for the first time. Among the new members, the highest number was registered for the age group of 18-21 years with 2.94 lakh members. This was followed by the age group of 21-25 years with 2.54 lakh members,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Approximately 58.75 percent are from the age group of 18-25 years of age. This shows that first-time job seekers are joining organized sector workforce in large numbers following their education and new jobs in organized sector are largely going to the youth of the country,” it said.

In September 2022, approximately 7.49 lakh net members exited but rejoined EPFO by changing their jobs within the establishments covered by EPFO and opted to transfer their funds from the previous PF account to the current account instead of opting for final settlement.

The payroll data indicates that the number of members exiting from the coverage of EPFO has continuously declined during the past three months. A month-on-month comparison shows that around 9.65 percent lesser members have exited EPFO during the month of September 2022 as compared to the previous month,” it said.

Gender-wise analysis of payroll data indicates that the enrolment of net female members has been 3.50 lakh in September 2022.

“A year-on-year comparison of enrolment data shows that net membership of females in the organized workforce has increased with a growth rate of 6.98 percent in September 2022 comparing with the net female membership during the previous year in September 2021. Among the total new members joining EPFO during the month, enrolment of the female workforce is recorded as 26.36 percent,” the ministry said.

The ministry said that the state-wise payroll figures highlight that a month-on-month growing trend in net member addition was observed in the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and others.

“The states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi continue to remain in lead by adding approximately 11.41 lakh net members during the month, which is 67.85 percent of total net payroll addition across all age groups,” it said.

The classification of industry-wise payroll data indicates that mainly two categories i.e. ‘Expert services’ (consisting of manpower agencies, private security agencies, and small contractors, etc.) and ‘Trading-Commercial establishments’ constitute 48.52 percent of total member addition during the month.

“Comparing industry-wise data with that of the previous month, higher enrolments have been noticed in industries namely, ‘Banks other than Nationalised Banks’, ‘Textiles’, ‘General Insurance’, ‘Hotels’, ‘Hospitals’ etc,” it further said.

The payroll data is provisional since the data generation is a continuous exercise, as updating employee records is a continuous process.

The previous data hence gets updated every month. From April 2018, EPFO has been releasing payroll data covering the period from September 2017 onwards. In monthly payroll data, the count of members joining EPFO for the first time through Aadhaar validated Universal Account Number (UAN), existing members exiting from coverage of EPFO, and those who exited but rejoining as members, is taken to arrive at the net monthly payroll.

EPFO is India’s principal organization responsible for offering social security coverage to the organised sector workforce under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. It offers a number of services to its members including a provident fund, pension benefits to the members on their retirement and family pension, and insurance benefits to their families in case of the untimely death of the member. (ANI)

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bans on firecrackers

Tamil Nadu: 1.5 Lakh Left Jobless After Firecracker Ban

Owing to blanket bans on firecrackers in numerous states, 1.5 lakh people in the firecracker manufacturing industry have been left jobless in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.

Firecracker makers who were anticipating a boom this Diwali after a two-year halt due to Covid-19, are also facing losses.
It is noteworthy that the firecracker sector has employed over 7 lakh people, and there are currently more than 1,000 registered firecracker units in operation. For more than 6.5 lakh Sivakasi families, the fireworks industry has been their only source of income. However, recent developments, including the ban on barium, have left over 1.5 lakh people jobless.

“The garland cracker has been banned despite being a significant item. Since garland crackers are entirely handmade and when we are not able to produce them, workers lose their jobs. This work was performed by around 40 percent of factory employees,” one of the workers said.

Nagendra, a fireworks worker, stated, “I’ve spent the last 20 years working in a cracker factory. The firecracker industry is the only industry in the Sivakasi area. The firecracker industry is the only source of income for the 5 lakh people that live here. Agriculture cannot be practiced under these conditions, only the firecracker business can.”

“For many years, the firework industry has been afflicted by issues such as a restriction on the use of certain chemicals and a ban on the manufacture of some explosives. Due to the rain, fireworks cannot be manufactured at this time. This has resulted in employment losses, and many states have banned the sale and bursting of firecrackers around Diwali, thus our work is not yielding the desired results,” he further added.

“Therefore, on behalf of the firecracker workers, I request that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should consult Prime Minister Modi and raise the livelihood of the firecracker workers,” Nagendra said.

Nagama, another fireworks worker, stated, “There is no longer any production or selling of firecrackers. We don’t know any other businesses besides crackers, and that are being harmed by government laws that are costing us our jobs. The government should consider our welfare and make sound decisions.” (ANI)

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