Tech
Contractual workers protest at Meta HQ against layoffs
As Meta (formerly Facebook) begins to steadily reduce headcount growth, hundreds of contractual workers organised a protest at the company’s headquarters in the US, asking for responsible, fair contracts from the Mark Zuckerberg-led company.
Over 100 service workers from various unions marched on the Meta campus amid layoffs of contractual employees, reports Almanac News.
“The demonstration brought together cafeteria workers, janitors, shuttle drivers and more to fight for the rights of workers deemed essential in a post-pandemic environment,” the report mentioned.
In the march on the campus last week that went largely unnoticed, workers demanded fair contracts from Meta and its subcontractor, Canon Business. The alleged Canon Business had pushed back against workers unionising.
“Over the last several years, and let’s be true about this, forever, tech has been thriving on the backs of all of us,” Maria Noel Fernandez, campaign director of Silicon Valley Rising, was quoted as saying.
As Big Tech companies lay off employees and freeze new hirings, Meta Founder and CEO Zuckerberg has said that the company’s plan is to steadily reduce headcount growth over the next year.
Admitting that the social network has entered an economic downturn that will have a broad impact on the digital advertising business, Zuckerberg said that many “teams are going to shrink so we can shift energy to other areas inside the company”.
“I want to give our leaders the ability to decide within their teams where to double down, where to backfill attrition and where to restructure teams while minimising thrash to the long-term initiatives,” he during the company’s latest quarterly earnings call.
South Bay Labor Council Executive Officer Jean Cohen said that what Facebook can do the least is to “make sure that they come to the table to bargain fairly, to make sure that everybody is treated with respect and dignity and has a voice on the job”.
A Meta spokesperson said that it fully recognises the right of employees to organise and encourage vendors to continue to work collaboratively.
“Many of our vendors’ employees are represented by organised labour. We’re proud that we’ve partnered with vendors to create and maintain thousands of good-paying, union jobs with industry-leading compensation packages and will continue to do so,” the company spokesperson added.
Facebook reported a 1 per cent drop in revenue to $28.8 billion in the June quarter (Q2). Overall, Meta’s profit fell 36 per cent to $6.7 billion in the quarter.
Several Big Tech firms like Microsoft, Google, Snap, Twitter, Spotify and others have either shrunk their workforce or reduced/frozen hiring for the rest of the year.
Maharashtra
Tesla To Open First Charging Station In Mumbai Next Week: All Details

US-based electric car maker Tesla will open its first charging station in India next week in Mumbai, the company announced on Friday.
The station will have four V4 Supercharging stalls for DC charging and four destination charging stalls for AC charging.
The Superchargers will offer a peak charging speed of 250 kW, priced at Rs 24 per kWh, while the destination chargers will provide 11 kW at Rs 14 per kWh.
“This will be the first of the eight Supercharging sites that were announced during the launch in Mumbai, with more planned across the country, to provide the optimal cross-country experience,” the company added.
Tesla said this will be the first of eight Supercharging sites announced during its Mumbai launch last month, with more planned across the country to make cross-country travel convenient for Tesla owners.
The company had entered the Indian market in July with the launch of its Model Y, priced from Rs 59.89 lakh, along with its first experience centre at Maker Maxity Commercial Complex in Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.
The BKC facility offers both fast-charging and regular options, catering to the needs of different EV users.
According to Tesla, the Model Y can gain up to 267 kilometres of range in just 15 minutes using its Superchargers — enough for five round trips between Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the Gateway of India.
“Model Y can add up to 267 kilometres of range in just 15 minutes with Tesla Superchargers, enough for 5 return trips between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai and Gateway of India,” the US-based carmaker said.
As part of its customer offer, Tesla will also provide a free wall connector with every new car purchase, which will be installed at the buyer’s residence.
Tech
Tesla’s First India Showroom To Open In Mumbai On July 15: All Details

As Elon Musk-owned affordable satellite internet service Starlink gets prepared to finally launch its services in India, his other venture, electric car company Tesla, is also stepping closer to kick-off its operations in the country from this month.
Although not manufacturing in the country at the moment, the company is set to open its first showroom in Mumbai on July 15.
Called an “experience centre”, the Tesla showroom in the financial capital is situated in a 4,000 square feet retail space, which is closer to US tech giant Apple’s flagship store in the city.
This move comes as part of Tesla’s broader expansion strategy in India. In June, the company leased a commercial space in Mumbai’s Kurla West, which is expected to serve as a vehicle service facility.
Tesla now has four commercial properties in India, including an engineering hub in Pune, a registered office in Bengaluru, and a temporary office near BKC.
Tesla India Motor and Energy Private Ltd had leased a 24,500-square-foot space in Mumbai’s Kurla West to set up a service centre, located close to its upcoming showroom in BKC.
This move marks a significant step in Tesla’s plans to enter the Indian electric vehicle (EV) market, although the company does not currently intend to manufacture vehicles in the country.
According to real estate documents sourced by CRE Matrix, a property data analytics firm, Tesla signed a lease and license agreement with Bellissimo in City FC Mumbai I Private to rent the space in Lodha Logistics Park.
The agreement is for five years, with a starting monthly rent of Rs 37.53 lakh. Throughout the lease, Tesla will pay nearly Rs 25 crore in total, including a security deposit of Rs 2.25 crore, as per the documents.
Tesla has made it clear that its current interest lies only in selling its vehicles in India, not in manufacturing them at the moment.
“They are not interested in manufacturing in India,” Union Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy said last month.
He added that Tesla is planning to open showrooms in India purely for sales.
The government has notified guidelines for its forward-looking EV scheme to enable fresh investments from global manufacturers in the electric cars segment and promote India as a global manufacturing hub for e-vehicles.
Business
India added one new airport every 40 days in last 10 years: Civil Aviation Minister

New Delhi, July 5: In just 10 years, the country have seen 88 new airports — nearly one new airport every 40 days — and added 60 additional flights every hour, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said.
According to the minister, flying in India today is more accessible, more available and more affordable.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian skies are more connected, competitive and collaborative, said Naidu, reiterating the ministry’s commitment to collaborative, state-specific strategies for achieving inclusive aviation growth.
He was speaking at the ‘Northern Region Ministers’ Conference on Civil Aviation 2025’ in Dehradun, organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation
“Through this strategic initiative we aim to identify the regional opportunities and unlock the vast potential of Tier 2 and 3 cities. If we look at the sector through numbers, then we can clearly see the scale of the opportunity that exists,” Naidu told the gathering.
At the event, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami underlined the pivotal role of aviation in enhancing regional connectivity, enabling tourism, and supporting socio-economic development in the state.
He appreciated the phenomenal growth in the aviation sector and highlighted the prime importance of ensuring safety in the aviation operations, including helicopter operations in the hilly terrain of the state for which “the state government and the Ministry are deeply committed”.
A series of presentations was made by the Ministry on opportunities for the states in the aviation sector.
The plenary session provided an overall outlook emerging from the day-long conference, where Naidu outlined the Ministry’s strategic priorities for the region, including the development of heliport infrastructure, expansion of UDAN routes, strengthening of Flying Training Organizations and MRO hubs, and creating synergies between the Centre, states and industry stakeholders.
The Minister also reflected on key outcomes from the one-on-one meetings held between the Ministry and state delegations, and parallel sessions between state governments and aviation industry leaders, and assured all support from the Central Government in taking the aviation sector forward.
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