Starbucks Lays off 2,000 in Middle East After Being Targeted by Boycott Campaign in Israel-Hamas War
Starbucks had previously faced criticism for allegedly supporting Israel following the conflict with Hamas; however, the company has denied any such accusations
Abu Dhabi: The Middle East branch of Starbucks is letting go of about 2,000 workers after having a tough time during the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, which was targeted by ‘activist groups across the region, media agencies claimed. Alshaya Group, which runs Starbucks in the Middle East, explained that they had to do this because business has been hard lately. They mentioned that the last six months have been especially challenging. Alshaya Group runs Starbucks in countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
According to reports Starbucks has faced criticism during the conflict as some people online accused Starbucks of supporting Israel, which the company denies. Starbucks says they don't have any political goals and don't fund any military actions. They've been trying to correct what they call false information about them online. In the United States, Starbucks got into a legal fight with Workers United, a union representing workers in many Starbucks stores, the report added. This happened after the union posted a message supporting Palestine. Starbucks sued the union to stop using its name in this way. The issue caused protests from both sides pro-Palestine and pro-Israel.
Starbucks isn't the only company facing backlash during the conflict. McDonald's also got attention after a franchisee in Israel said they would give free meals to Israeli soldiers. This led to calls for a boycott against McDonald's.
(With Agency Inputs)
Published By : Swapnanil Chatterjee
Published On: 6 March 2024 at 13:04 IST