Premji assures support for affected staff in France

Azim Premji, chairman of India's third-largest IT services company Wipro, today assured officials of the ministry in France that the 60-odd employees — who were working with the company's wireless IT division in Sophia Antipolis — will receive support even as it plans to exit the wireless intelllectual property (IP) product business.

During his discussion with Christian Estrosi, Ministry of Industry (Paris), Premji reiterated his company's commitment to France as a key growth market for Wipro.

“We reiterate our commitment to France, a key growth market for Wipro. We look forward to growing our presence, serving our customers effectively and creating employment opportunities in the country,” said Premji.

He explained that his company had implemented exemplary social measures to support the employees at the Sophia Antipolis center who were affected due to Wipro’s worldwide exit from the IP Connectivity business. These measures include support to encourage employment and entrepreneurship, as well as financial benefits.

During the discussion, Estrosi reiterated a “strong attachment to the fact that all the employees of Sophia's centre can find again a professional future as quickly as possible, through solutions of employee take over or of company creation carried by employees”.

Talking to mediapersons during the company's quarterly results announcement this week, Wipro officials had stated that the company had come to an amicable settlement with the affected employees in France.

As a part of this, Wipro had offered the intellectual property developed at the centre, to the affected employees at Sophia Antipolis centre free of charge. Besides, the company had offered its office space and equipment free for charge to those employees free of charge, for a period of one year.

For the last three years, Wipro has implemented its development plan for its IT services in the French market. Christophe Martinoli, head of France, Wipro Technologies said, the company intended to double its staff base and revenues in France in the next 18 months to serve its in France better.