Starbucks cuts 2,000 jobs in Middle East, 4% of total franchise workforce

The Starbucks Middle East franchise is cutting 2,000 jobs after suffering from the impact of the wide-scale boycott in wake of the ongoing “Israeli” aggression against the Gaza Strip - per sources cited by Reuters.

Starbucks in the Middle East, which is operated by a Gulf company, is laying off 2,000 employees out of its total 50,000 employees - amounting to a 4 percent reduction.

“The boycotts have led to tough trading conditions for the company,” one source said to Reuters.

"As a result of the continually challenging trading conditions over the last six months, we have taken the sad and very difficult decision to reduce the number of colleagues in our Starbucks MENA stores,” The company which operates Starbucks said in the statement - but with no mention of the amount of employees laid off.

Also Read: McDonald's buys back franchise restaurants in “Israel” after sales drop

Almost the entirety of all Western companies and brands have been the target of a very effective boycott campaign since October 2023, in response to the Israeli Occupation aggression waged against the Gaza Strip - which has left 33,797 dead in the Gaza Strip as of April 15, 2024.

The boycott campaign has been entirely driven by the public, and has prompted several major Western companies and brands to distance themselves politically from the situation in the Gaza Strip to protect their reputation and sales.

Starbucks is also currently grappling with a case presented in the Supreme Court of the United States regarding workers rights.

Starbucks workers in the United States are seeking to unionize, and seven baristas at a Memphis coffee shop in the state of Tennessee were fired by the company after claiming the seven workers violated company rules by allowing unauthorized entry into the store after closing hours.

A Memphis judge ruled in favor of the seven workers, and ordered Starbucks for them to be hired. The case has now reached the Supreme Court after the ruling was appealed.

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