By Abhik Sengupta
A former Irish-based Twitter employee has temporarily secured her old job following an Irish High Court order. Twitter’s global vice president of policy Sinead McSweeney told the court that she has not technically resigned from her position by not responding to a generic email authorised by Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk. The November 16 email gave Twitter employees a choice to work at the company under new, stricter rules. The email asked employees to click on “yes” if they “want to be part of the new Twitter.”
As reported by The Irish Times, McSweeney did not click on yes due to a lack of clarity over several issues, including her contractual entitlements. As she ignored the November 16 email, Twitter locked her access to internal IT systems, emails, and the Dublin office. She claimed Twitter humiliated her as if she was never a part of the company. McSweeney received an email confirming her “voluntary resignation” on November 18th.
After she sought an injunction, the Irish High Court acknowledged McSweeney’s position as a widow and mother of a teenager. The court asked Twitter to reinstate her access to Twitter’s system as if she’s still a part of the company. However, this does not mean she is a full-time worker, and McSweeney will have to renegotiate her position. The matter will return to court this week.
The report adds that McSweeney’s keen on working at Twitter, though she’s having second thoughts following Musk’s takeover. She told the court that Musk has been running the company “in an unorthodox manner”, and constant firings and rehirings leave uncertainties. She says she’s willing to work for longer hours, as Musk demanded in the email, but is not prepared to commit to an indeterminable expectation.
Musk formally took over Twitter in late October and fired more than half of the company’s workforce. Twitter CEO and CFO, Parag Agrawal and Ned Segal were fired on the first day of the takeover. Last week, a report pointed out that Musk is done with the mass layoffs, and the company is planning to rehire some key positions. However, details remain scarce, and current Twitter employees face uncertainties. (Indian Today)