IT industry layoffs: More complaints filed against Wipro, Cognizant, others

Four Tech Mahindra employees approached the labour commission in Karnataka

India's large IT services companies are witnessing increasing backlash from employees who have been asked to resign in recent months as the industry sees a structural change due to business as well as technology shifts.

Former employees of major IT services firms such as Tech Mahindra, Wipro and Cognizant on Thursday met with labour department officials in Bengaluru and Pune alleging that there have been cases of "forceful resignations" at all three companies. 

A former Vodafone employee also joined the ranks of disgruntled professionals to file a letter against their unethical termination with the Pune Labour commissioner.

Employees of one of the organisations said that the terrace of their office is being patrolled by bouncers to ensure that nobody tries to jump from there. All affected members were clearly wary of making public statements or even having their pictures taken as they remain apprehensive of how their current and future employers may perceive their involvement with the forum for IT employees (FITE), which has been spearheading the petitions in Pune apart from other Indian cities.

Four employees of Tech Mahindra are learnt to have filed a petition before R R Jannu, Labour Commissioner, Karnataka, and sought its intervention. "Our next agenda is to meet with IT minister Priyank Kharge and discuss this issue," said one of the members of FITE Bengaluru chapter and a former employee of Tech Mahindra.

The Pune labour department office has also called for a second meeting between Cognizant and their aggrieved employees in two weeks.

"I have been a critical resource for my project since four years and now they are forcing me to resign. I have a home loan and school going child. How should I sustain these?" asked a petitioner, who did not want to be named.

Cognizant, however, continues to deny claims of having conducted layoffs.

Acording to a company spokesperson, Cognizant sent a team to dicuss the issue of layoffs with the assistant commissioner of the labour department in Pune on Thursday.  

"We reiterated that Cognizant has not conducted any layoffs and changes resulting from the company's performance review process are consistent with the standard practice that has been followed by the IT industry for many years," said the spokesperson.