Beleagured aquatech unicorn startup eFishery’s labour union, the Serikat Pekerja PT Multidaya Teknologi Nusantara (SPMTN), held a peaceful emergency townhall on Thursday outside the company’s office in Bandung, West Java. The union gathered to voice growing concerns about the company’s future and its impact on employees and stakeholders.
eFishery is reportedly leaderless as Adhy Wibisono has reportedly stepped down from his role as interim CEO. He had taken over as eFishery’s board suspended its co-founders Gibran Huzaifah and Chrisna Aditya following an investigation into alleged financial irregularities at the company.
Dozens of union members raised several pressing concerns that have created significant unease among employees and others in the eFishery ecosystem.
Firstly, employees fear that the company may proceed with mass layoffs and even a complete shutdown of operations in February, allegedly to avoid paying employee bonuses, including the legally mandated Tunjangan Hari Raya (THR).
DealStreetAsia has learned that eFishery will begin implementing layoffs, starting with contract and outsourced workers, effective by the end of this month. Most of the impacted employees have already been informed of their final working day.
Secondly, field operations of the company have come to a halt, significantly impacting fish farmers, shrimp farmers, and consumers within the eFishery ecosystem. Many farmers are now struggling to access feed, facing disrupted cash flow, falling into external debt, and losing access to markets that were typically facilitated by eFishery.
“Field operations have been completely frozen—no deliveries, no orders, nothing for nearly a month since Gibran and Chrisna stepped down. Farmers have even offered to cover delivery costs themselves. It’s been almost a month of inactivity, and it simply doesn’t make sense for operations to be at a standstill. The fraud is already there, but it doesn’t mean our solution is a fake,” said a union spokesperson to DealStreetAsia.
Thirdly, the recent allegations of systematic financial fraud within eFishery have tarnished the company’s and employees’ reputation. While the fraud reportedly involves a select few at the leadership level, many workers feel unjustly painted by the same brush. They emphasise their integrity and dedication to the company’s mission of empowering fish farmers.
In response to these concerns, the union outlined a set of demands, which are: cancel plans for mass layoff, resume business operations, and official fraud clarification.
The union’s emergency townhall was not attended by the top management. However, a representative on behalf of the management was present to accommodate some of the union’s demands.
Discussions regarding two of the union’s key demands—resuming operations and clarifying fraud allegations—are reportedly underway.
“Management has promised to take immediate action on restarting operations and addressing public concerns regarding fraud. However, there was no direct discussion regarding the rumoured layoffs,” said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson also said the absence of consistent leadership has only compounded the uncertainty. Since the resignation of the company’s founders, Gibran Huzaifah and Chrisna Aditya, and the recent departure of interim CEO Adhy Wibisono, employees have felt increasingly disconnected from the company’s strategic direction.
“There has been no communication from higher-ups or events to engage employees. It feels like we’re being left in the dark,” added the spokesperson.
Crisis expedites unionisation efforts
The company’s union was formed last week, expedited by recent developments.
The decision was largely driven by the vulnerability faced by tech sector workers, who are often subjected to practices that subvert labour laws. This is especially challenging for tech workers in Indonesia due to the unique dynamics of remote and hybrid work setups, which lack established precedents in the country.
“Recent developments have accelerated efforts to formalise this union, as employees fear potential layoffs that could leave their colleagues without proper legal protection or compensation,” the spokesperson said.
While acknowledging that fraud occurred, employees feel the narrative unfairly tarnishes the reputation of all staff. The revelation of alleged misconduct at eFishery has reportedly hindered former employees’ job prospects, despite their lack of involvement in the fraudulent activities.
The newly formed union has pledged to advocate for these affected workers, prioritising fair compensation and severance following labour laws.
The union spokesperson stated, “Whatever issues exist between investors and management, they shouldn’t come at the expense of employees who had no involvement in the fraud. Workers shouldn’t be made victims of this situation.”
