Byju's Averts Workers' Strike; Rules Out More Layoffs At Tuition Centres

Byju's Chief Operating Officer Mrinal Mohit has told employees that there wouldn't be any more layoffs at the tuition-centre business as the edtech major seeks to pre-empt an employees' strike.

In what was described as an impromptu virtual chat by an employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Mohit came on for a direct townhall on July 22 for the first time ever to allay workers' concerns.

Mohit's townhall came at a time when the about 300-strong marketing department for Byju's Tuition Centre had been laid off. Amid that, neither have employees been paid incentives for months, nor did they receive an appraisal since March. These reasons had prompted workers to threaten a strike from July 25.

The employee told BQ Prime that Mohit assured that there won't be any further layoffs at any department. Employees were also promised a salary appraisal in another two months, along with incentives that will be rolled out this quarter.

As a result, the strike has been called off for now, the employee said.

They said that the townhall was a "one-way chat though" and the chat box was also closed.

The employee said that Mohit shared his vision for Byju's Tuition Centres 2.0, which would be profitable and expand to more geographies.

In a statement to BQ Prime, Byju's said the address by Mrinal Mohit to BTC managers was planned well in advance, to mark the completion of one year of BTC. "It was not a reaction to any rumour, but a celebration of all our achievements in hybrid learning. It was also organised to transparently share the plan for the next six months as we now embark on building BTC 2.0, which is even more effective and efficient than BTC 1.0. In addition, all the concerns of our employees, including about restructuring and incentives were duly and satisfactorily addressed."

"We are not aware of any employee protests. Any rumours regarding the same is incorrect," a spokesperson for Byju's added.

The direct reachout by Mohit comes about a month after Byju Raveendran's similar town hall. A turbulent 12 months with valuation cuts by prominent investors, searches by the Enforcement Directorate, layoffs, delayed financial results and funding stuck in limbo have prompted the senior leadership to reach out to employees directly.