IT job layoffs: Tamil Nadu govt invites firms for discussion

Meeting expected to be held on August 28

The Tamil Nadu government will conduct a meeting among the management of various IT firms and IT employees' unions to discuss newspaper reports on the alleged plans of the companies to reduce the number of employees in their establishment in the state, according to the employees' organisations. The meeting is expected to be held on August 28. 

The letter has been issued by the Tamil Nadu Labour Department to the managements of Cognizant, TCS, Wipro, Infosys and IBM ,along with the industry body Nasscom for discussion, said New Democratic Labour Front (NDLF), IT employees' wing leaders in an announcement. 

The discussions will be based on newspaper reports that "the managements of TCS, Wipro, IBM and Infosys Ltd have planned to reduce number of employees in their establishment in Taminadu," said a letter issued by Joint Commissioner of Labour, Chennai. Forum For IT Employees (FITE) and NDLF - IT Employees Wing are invited to the meeting to represent IT Employees.

"It is for the first time that a state government is inviting all the parties for a meeting," said Vinod AJ, general secretary of FITE.

The organisations representing some of the employees in the sector have been raising the issue for the past few months and have filed petitions with the labour departments in various states of the country. They are also anticipating registering a union for the employees of individual companies or representing the employees in the sector as a whole.