Nigerian employees at Bolt, the ride-hailing app, have lamented how the firm tricked them into building a new team but instead announced their sack.
The employees say the move came as the company promised not to fire them, but retrain them after announcing a new investment in its Africa operations.
The company laid off 17 of its 70 employees in Nigeria, despite recent promises to increase employment in Africa, a Techpoint report said.
The Regional Manager for Bolt West and North Africa, Ire Obatoki said the layoffs resulted from operational adjustments to promote better performance within the company.
Obatoki stated that the firm understands the frustration of the affected employees as a report emerged that the sacked employees were told that management would restructure, form new teams, and rearrange employees.
The employees noted their disappointment that the meeting, which they believed was an announcement of new units, was really to tell them they were fired.
BusinessInsider reports that each employee received a severance package based on their stay at the firm. Employees who had been with the firm for a year received one-month severance pay, while those who had been with Bolt received two months’ pay and less than a year employees received half their salaries.
The company provided the affected staff with an additional three months of health insurance and access to psychological support as a career coach to enable them to wade through the phase, Bolt said in a statement.
The layoffs contradicted the company’s promise a few days ago to increase their economic input in Africa, provide more jobs and commit to a $530 million investment plan.
