Online travel firm Agoda apologises for ‘inappropriate’ Singapore job cut notices
Agoda met with Singapore’s labor bodies and the ministry of manpower to “discuss and address the concerns raised over severance agreements.”
Online travel booking platform Agoda apologized for including “inappropriate” language as part of severance agreements in Singapore, after drawing criticism for warning laid-off staff not to raise the matter to authorities or labor unions.
Agoda met with Singapore’s labor bodies and the Ministry of Manpower to “discuss and address the concerns raised over our severance agreements,” it said in a statement on Friday.
“We acknowledge that it is inappropriate for employers to include provisions that discourage or inhibit employees from approaching the authorities for all situations,” Agoda said, arguing the clauses were intended to settle all matters relating to employment. “This regretfully led to a negative impact on some of our employees, and for that we apologize.”
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The Singapore-based company was criticised by the country’s umbrella labor group, the National Trades Union Congress, which, together with a services union, called the move “irresponsible and regrettable.”
The Business Times reported that documents given to affected workers said they will lose severance benefits if they reported the matter to bodies including government agencies and unions. Agoda had earlier denied cautioning staff against doing so.
About 50 employees in Singapore were laid off, according to the report. Agoda, which has over 7,000 staff worldwide, confirmed it had phased out customer support roles in Singapore, Budapest and Shanghai as part of a restructuring. The company is owned by the US-listed Booking Holdings Inc., which also operates Booking.com and Kayak.
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Singapore has seen growing calls for stronger worker protections in a country long known for industrial peace fostered by the close ties between the labor movement and the government.
