Employees are taking legal action against Elon Musk's Twitter, after staff were emailed regarding mass layoffs.
As reported by CNN, staff at the social media platform were sent an email on Thursday evening telling them that they would be receiving an update on their employment status by 12:00PM (ET) on Friday, November 4.
According to CNN, the email read: "If your employment is not impacted, you will receive a notification via your Twitter email. If your employment is impacted, you will receive a notification with next steps via your personal email."
The email reportedly added that the Twitter offices will be "temporarily closed and all badge access will be suspended" in order to "help ensure the safety" of staff and the platform's systems.
Per the Daily Mail, the staff memo instructed employees who were "in an office or on [their] way to an office" to return home.
"We recognize that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company's success moving forward," the memo adds, per the Mail
And although the email allegedly recognized that employees are facing "an incredibly challenging experience to go through" following Elon Musk's $44 billion takeover of the company last week, it seems that words are not enough for some members of staff.
Per CNN, several Twitter employees have now filed a class action lawsuit, claiming that the impending layoffs are in violation of labor law.
Filed on Thursday (November 3), the lawsuit alleges Twitter is in violation of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) following the firing of some employees.
This week, it was reported that Musk had already fired several of the company's top executives, with the the Space X Founder also opting to dissolve Twitter's board and named himself the "sole director".
Per The Independent, a new SEC filing shows Musk let go of nine directors - including board chairman Bret Taylor and CEO Parag Agrawal - within days of completing his takeover.
Now, the new class action lawsuit references that the WARN Act requires employers with over 100 employees to provide 60 days' advanced written notice prior to a mass layoff "affecting 50 or more employees at a single site of employment", per CNN.
In a statement to CNN, attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan - who is responsible for filing the lawsuit - said: "Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, has made clear that he believes complying with federal labor laws is 'trivial.'"
"We have filed this federal complaint to ensure that Twitter be held accountable to our laws and to prevent Twitter employees from unknowingly signing away their rights," Liss-Riordan's statement adds.
The Daily Mail reports that Twitter boasted a global workforce of approximately 7,500 employees at the end of 2021.
Per the Mail, staff have since reported losing access to their emails and company communication apps, as well as being logged out of laptops.
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