Shortly after taking over Twitter, Elon Musk laid off round 50 p.c of the corporate’s workers. On the identical day, he tweeted that each one these laid off would obtain three months of severance pay. However, after two months of ready for the corporate to say what sort of severance and advantages can be accessible, a number of former Twitter staff say they’ve heard nothing.
As weeks of ready flip into months, former staffers within the US are submitting arbitration fits, whereas some within the UK are attempting to barter phrases. In different international locations the place Twitter laid off workers, folks have heard nothing.
Quickly after the layoffs have been introduced, Twitter was compelled to backtrack and maintain some workers on payroll for longer. California staff have been employed, although not working, till January 4 to keep away from working afoul of the state’s Employee Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN. In New York, former staffers can be employed for an additional month in accordance with state legal guidelines. However as these deadlines move, Twitter’s silence has develop into deafening.
Seven former Twitter staff who spoke to Startup stated that they had not obtained details about their severance, regardless of some coming as much as or being previous their final day on the firm. Final month, a handful of former staff introduced that they’d be submitting arbitration instances in opposition to the corporate, alleging that it had violated the WARN Act and that its dealing with of the layoffs constituted a breach of contract.
One former worker, who was laid off in November, is ready on authorized proceedings to see whether or not they’ll be given severance in any respect—and isn’t assured they are going to be. One other, who was laid off in early November, has heard nothing from the corporate.
A 3rd has but to obtain any particulars of severance, though they’ve been chasing Twitter for data since they have been fired in November. That they had been promised not less than twice earlier than that they’d be given particulars of their package deal—and every time the promised deadline handed with none data.
An ex-staffer within the UK says that they’ve additionally not obtained phrase about severance however are at present discussing phrases with the corporate on behalf of the some 300 workers primarily based within the nation.
A former worker from Twitter’s Accra, Ghana, workplace, which was open for lower than every week earlier than its complete workers was laid off, says that they, “like different workers globally, have been assured severance however haven’t heard from them but.” The previous worker says they weren’t positive what, if any, recourse they might have in opposition to the corporate in Ghana.
Twitter is, nonetheless, offering severance to some. One former contractor says their boss obtained their severance particulars on January 5. As for the contractor, they got a field of sweets by the company that bought them the job at Twitter. All former Twitter staffers contacted for this story have been granted anonymity as a result of speaking to the media might have an effect on them being granted severance pay.
Whereas some selected to attend till their official standing as staff expired on January 4, others selected to take preemptive authorized motion in opposition to the corporate.