IT employee forum accuses former members of still carrying its banner

The Forum is accused its former members of misusing its banner for their benefit

Amid its fight against various information technology (IT) company managements allegedly laying off employees, the Forum for IT Employees (FITE) said that some of its former members including the ousted president are using its banner for their benefit. 

The Forum, in a statement on Wednesday, said it expelled a few of its members including its president in February, after they joined a political party.

The Forum came to know in mid-2016 that the then president P Parimala had become a committee member of DTUC, which is the union arm of CPML-People Liberation. 

CPML is Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). FITE said that the CPML party members, Parimala and five others, were trying to secure the Forum for the party.

After several round of talks to resolve the issue, Parimala, Balaji T, Bharathidasan N, Sathish M, Deepan Kumar and Iniyavan were removed from the organisation in February. Despite repeated warnings, they continue to misuse the FITE banner and claim to represent FITE in the media, the Forum alleged, adding that the current leadership only has the voice to represent the Forum's point of view.

Parimala has said that these are internal issues in an organisation and the focus should remain on the protests on behalf of the IT employees.

R Vasumathi, president of FITE, in a statement issued earlier, said, "We are committed to running FITE as a forum for IT professionals by IT professionals. Today the industry is going through a crisis and employees are paying a harsh price. Today, more than ever, we need an organisation that is focused on representing our interests". The forum is currently in the process of registering as a union.

The split comes out in the open even as the Forum is campaigning against IT majors including Cognizant and Tech Mahindra, and approaching labour offices of various states, alleging that these companies are laying off thousands of employees. The companies have denied the allegations raised by the Forum and other such organisations.

FITE was launched on December 29, 2014, starting with a protest against the alleged layoffs of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) employees. According to reports during the time, the Forum was a platform formed by the Young Tamil Nadu Movement (YTNM). It is an independent political movement comprising IT professionals and youths, campaigning for the political, democratic and human rights of the oppressed people of Tamil Nadu, says YTNM's website. The movement was formed in November 2008 against the backdrop of war in Sri Lanka.