TCS forced 2,500 employees in Pune to resign, NITES claims in a letter to the Chief Minister
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country’s largest IT company, allegedly forced approximately 2,500 employees in Pune to resign. NITES, an IT employees’ organization, made this claim in a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister. TCS stated that only a limited number of employees were affected by the recent skill restructuring initiative within the organization. In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, President of the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), Harpreet Singh Saluja sought timely intervention to protect the interests of employees affected by the layoffs.
Labor Ministry directs Maharashtra Labor Secretary to take necessary action
Harpreet Singh Saluja stated that based on the representation from NITES, the Union Labor Ministry has directed Maharashtra’s Labor Secretary to take necessary action in this matter. NITES said, “Sadly, despite this directive, the ground reality has become more concerning. In Pune alone, approximately 2,500 employees have been forced to resign or abruptly terminated in the past few weeks.” When contacted for comment, TCS said, “This deliberately shared information is false and malicious. Our recent skill restructuring initiative within our organization has affected only a limited number of employees.”
What the Tata Group company said in a statement
The Tata Group IT company said, “Those affected have been provided with appropriate care and severance pay as they should be in each individual situation.” In June this year, the company announced the layoff of approximately two percent of its global workforce, or 12,261 employees, most of whom are mid- and senior-level employees. NITES said that the affected employees are not just numbers but parents, breadwinners, caregivers, and the backbone of thousands of families across Maharashtra. NITES stated, “Many of the affected employees are mid- to senior-level professionals who have given 10-20 years of dedicated service to the company. A large number of employees are over 40 years of age, burdened with monthly instalments, school fees, medical expenses, and the responsibilities of elderly parents. It is nearly impossible for them to find alternative employment in today’s competitive market.”
NITES alleges violation of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947
NITES alleges that the dismissal of employees by TCS is a gross violation of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, as no information was provided to the government. The organization claims that TCS has not paid any statutory retrenchment compensation to the employees and that they are being forced to submit “voluntary resignations” under threat and pressure. It has demanded the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to stand with the affected families in this “difficult time” and direct the state labor department to immediately investigate and stop the alleged illegal dismissals.
