Cash-starved e-marketplace operator Askme suspended operations last week after its promoter group Malaysia-based Astro Overseas pulled out last month without paying the last tranche of funds to the company.
Employees and sellers of Astro Entertainment-backed Getit Infoservices (owner of businesses under AskMe brand) held a protest outside Askme.com's Gurugram office on Monday demanding payment of their long-pending salaries and dues.
Cash-starved e-marketplace operator Askme suspended operations last week after its promoter group Malaysia-based Astro Overseas pulled out last month without paying the last tranche of funds to the company.
"There is a temporary suspension of operations as of now and we have not been paid our salaries," said one of the employees participating in the protest.
The shutdown has impacted nearly 4,000 people working in the e-commerce firm, said another employee, adding that they had received no communication from the company about any layoffs.
"We have not been paid our July salaries and many employees have not received their reimbursements since the beginning of the financial year," one of the employees quoted above told dna.
An email sent to Astro Entertainment's media agency seeking clarity on non-payment of dues remained unanswered at the time of going to print.
The protest by disgruntled employees and vendors of the e-commerce outside the Gurugram office was captured in a video sent to dna by one of the employees. Seen in the visuals is an Askme seller leading the protest and seeking intervention into the unceremonious closure of the company which will impact many people. The protesters held banners which read 'Please don't spoil a thousand families; give our lifetime earnings back'. Another visible banner read, 'Loans and interests are eating us alive. Please pay vendor's money'.
Askme.com not only failed to pay salaries to its employees but also its vendors who have been seeking dues from the company since October last year. Astro-owned investment firm Astro Entertainment Networks Ltd (AENL) said in a statement last week that despite its huge investments (of around $300 million), Getit had not been able to make its business profitable and sustainable. The Malaysian investor said an independent review by advisors had concluded that there was little prospect for turnaround and the business was insolvent.
Astro Overseas also said that it will seek a forensic audit of the books of AskMe's parent Getit Infoservices, but, in the video, the seller is seen saying that they had no idea what the outcome of the audit would be and what the communication was (with the company).
"Operations were put on hold last Wednesday and there has been no communication whatsoever thereafter whether Astro will pay the dues or not. We are hearing from the news reports that the management has resigned.
We haven't been told anything," the employee said.
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