IT union AIITEU slams TCS' 225-day billability and 35-day bench policy

The union calls TCS' new billability mandate and bench limit an anti-worker move that shifts responsibility from management to employees amid rising utilisation rates

The All India IT and ITeS Employees’ Union (AIITEU) has criticised the latest policy of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which mandates employees to be billable for 225 days every year and limits bench timelines to 35 days.

 

Terming the move an “anti-worker policy,” the union said it was a step by India’s largest IT services provider to justify its performance improvement plan (PIP), a strategy often used during downsizing.

 

“The Resource Management Group (RMG) of TCS is known to be responsible for ensuring adequate billability of employees. While it is true that a prolonged period of inactivity adversely affects compensation, individual growth and overseas deployment prospects, the policy also has an ulterior motive—transferring the responsibility for billability from the RMG to employees,” AIITEU general secretary Saubhik Bhattacharya said in a statement.

 

The decision, announced by TCS’ RMG, also warned that extended periods of being unallocated would negatively impact compensation, career growth, and chances of overseas deployment, and could even result in termination. 

 

The union said the responsibility of assigning projects lies with the company and accused TCS of deflecting its duty by shifting the onus onto employees.

 

“They are imposing a time limit of 35 days, and there is no guarantee that TCS will not reduce it further in the future to increase pressure on employees,” the union added.

 

TCS’ move comes at a time when utilisation levels at IT companies have reached an all-time high of nearly 85 per cent. This implies that most experienced engineers are engaged in active projects. Keeping others on the bench affects margins, as they are not billable resources.

 

While unallocated and on the bench, TCS employees are expected to be in office for faster deployment. They are also required to upskill on the company’s learning platform, iEvolve, for four to six hours daily.