COVID-19: UAE to operate special flights to bring back Emiratis from India
Dubai: The UAE government on Monday announced to operate special repatriation flights from four Indian cities to bring back its nationals stuck in the country due to the restrictions on air travel amidst the coronavirus pandemic, media reports said.
Sharjah-headquartered budget carrier Air Arabia will operate the repatriation flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi and Hyderabad, Khaleej Times reported.
While the special flights from Mumbai and Delhi will operate on Monday, those from Cochin and Hyderabad will operate on Tuesday, it said.
"Air Arabia remains committed to bring stranded citizens back home as well as supporting requests to operate repatriation flights and is working closely with UAE authorities in this regard. The airline announced earlier that it's operating a mix of repatriation flights as well as cargo flights during the month of April to multiple destinations," it said in a statement on Monday.
Further information about the repatriation and cargo flights is available on the website or can be obtained by contacting the Air Arabia call centre on 06 5580000, it said.
Last week, the airline announced new passenger repatriation as well as cargo flights to nine countries -- Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sudan, Egypt, India and Nepal -- from Sharjah International Airport.
The Indian government has banned all domestic as well as international air travel until May 3 in view of the coronavirus pandemic which has killed over 160,000 people globally.
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Oracle lays off around 12,000 employees in India, another round likely within a month
New Delhi (PTI): US-based IT firm Oracle is believed to have laid off approximately 12,000 staff in India, with another round of layoffs expected within a month, impacted employees said on Tuesday.
Globally, the company has fired around 30,000 employees.
"In India, around 12,000 employees have been laid off. The company is planning another mass layoff within a month," said two people impacted by the retrenchment, including one from the company's human resource department.
The company has approximately 30,000 employees in India, including those affected by the layoffs.
Oracle declined to comment on the development.
Oracle, in an email sent to staff, said the employees were informed about certain organisational changes and "because of these changes, a decision has been taken to streamline the operations, and as a result, unfortunately, the position you currently hold will become redundant".
The company has offered 15 days' salary to each employee who has completed a year of service in India, in addition to one month of unpaid wages till termination date, leave encashment, gratuity based on eligibility and pay for a one-month notice period.
Oracle has also offered a two-month salary as a top-up.
However, the severance package is available for those who voluntarily and amicably resign from the company.
An ex-employee of Oracle, Merugu Sridhar, said that he was laid off in September for protesting against the 16-hour work shift that the company has in India.
"I contacted my friends and those who are in human resources. They shared that most of the Indians working in the US with the company have been impacted because the local laws there are very strict when it comes to the retrenchment of their citizens," Sridhar said.
