Reliance Industries announces pay cuts, Mukesh Ambani to forego entire salary

Reliance Industries has cut the pay of employees by up to 50 percent, according to a company letter, as it battles lower profitability in wake of the coronavirus epidemic. The pay cuts were cited in a company note to employees dated April 29.

Reliance Industries, headed by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has decided that employees earning more than Rs 15 lakh ($20,000) a year will face a 10 percent salary cut, while senior executives will take salary cuts ranging from 30 percent to 50 percent. Employees earning less than Rs 15 lakh per annum will not see any reduction in their compensation.

“The hydrocarbons business has been adversely impacted due to reduction in demand for refined products and petrochemicals … the situation demands that we maintain razor sharp focus on operating costs and fixed costs and all of us need to contribute to make this happen,” Executive Director Hital R. Meswani said in the letter.

“Our Chairman has agreed to forgo his entire compensation,” he added, referring to Mr Ambani.

Reliance Industries has also announced postponement of the annual cash bonus and performance-linked incentives, which are usually paid in the first quarter.

Reliance Industries is due to announce its quarterly results later on Thursday. The company said that it would consider its first rights issue in almost 30 years as part of its broader commitment to eliminating net debt by March 2021. Reliance Industries’ outstanding debt was about $43 billion at the end of last year.

Facebook this month revealed plans to spend $5.7 billion to buy a 9.99 percent stake in Reliance’s digital arm.

RIL shares closed 2.86 percent higher at Rs 1,467.05 on the BSE ahead of its Q4 numbers.

―NDTV