DT Dobie Set To Fire Several Employees As Going Gets Tough -

DT Dobie has announced plans to reduce its workforce, following reduced profitability after losing Nissan franchise to South African company Imperial Group, six years ago.

Managing Director Ian Middleton, in a memo to staffers, said that the job losses “have nothing to do with the Coronavirus” but everything to do with the loss of business.

“This is to notify you that the management has been reviewing the performance of the company for the last 15 months and evidently there is a continuous loss of business for the company. There are many reasons for this; the overall Kenyan economy over the past year, restriction on parts importation and internally loss of Nissan as a brand and the resultant reduction in servicing Nissan vehicles,” said Middleton.

Read: Kenya’s Peugeot Dealer Urysia Limited Cuts Employee Salaries By 50 Percent, Sends Others on Unpaid Leave

The company says the decision was made in December 2019. It says it has organised counselling sessions for those who will be affected.

“The company shall from time to time hold consultative meetings in order to explore ways of reducing the number of employees to be affected and mitigate the harsh impact of redundancy you are therefore required to attend such meetings,” Middleton said.

DT Dobie currently holds the franchise to sell Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Hyundai trucks in Kenya.

Urysia Limited, the authorised dealer for Peugeot cars, has also sent a good number of its employees on unpaid leave, and slashed salaries by 50 percent for the few remaining staffers.

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