Post-merger Bharti Airtel to lay off 800 Telenor India staff

They have received emails from Bharti Airtel asking them to attend a meeting with HR officials to discuss "way ahead and next step", an employee said.

The mail received by Telenor employees said, "You must be aware that Telenor (India) Communications Private Limited has been integrated with Bharti Airtel Ltd. With regards to this legal merger, we invite you for a personal discussion with the Airtel Team to inform you about way ahead and next steps. Be available for the meeting as per the details below." 

A Telenor employee said he attended a meeting with HR officials of Airtel after receipt of a mail yesterday.

"They told me that post merger, they have no place for my position. They offered me five months salary and asked my resignation letter. I have not decided what to do," the employee told PTI on condition of anonymity. 

Telenor India has around 1,400 employees and 700 of them had been absorbed. Airtel says it has offerd a good financial package besides continuance of medical insurance and free calls to to those being eased out.

An Airtel spokesperson said the company has already "on-boarded over 700 people from Telenor India and provided them growth opportunities" across Airtel's India, and overseas operations. 

"Its inevitable that in a post-integration scenario such as this, not all people from Telenor India will find meaningful roles within Airtel.

"We are ensuring that these people get appropriate support such as continued financial and medical allowances along with the assistance of our placement partners, the spokesperson said in an email reply.

The Department of Telecom on May 14 approved the merger -- a move that will make the subscriber base of Sunil Mittal-led firm almost twice the size of new entrant Reliance Jio. Both the companies had entered into an agreement for the deal in February 2017.