Apple fires hundreds of contract workers; Breaks Assurance of job Security

As per reports, Apple has sacked hundreds of contract workers. This is in sharp contrast to what Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in recent past asserting that layoffs are something that will be a “last resort kind of thing.”

He had also said, “You can never say never.”

According to sources, Apple has fired hundreds of contractual workers who were hired by third-party agencies. But these contract workers worked along with direct employees of Apple on various projects, reported New York Times. The company has quietly sacked these contract workers to reduce expenditure.

The sacked contract workers had contracts of up to 15 months with Apple. But the company isn’t waiting for the expiry of the contract period. It is removing them immediately.

One of the contractors reportedly said that Apple previously assured the workers that their jobs were safe, a promise that the company broke.

Apple never considered these contractual workers as its employees, so their removals are not regarded as layoffs in the company. It is being said that firing contractors is an easier choice for Apple considering it won’t have to pay severance or “face potential litigation from employees alleging wrongful termination,” a report from NYT said.

It is not yet sure how many contract workers Apple really had and how many of them were fired. Several reports claim that their number is in the thousands.