Wipro delays onboarding of 250 engg grads; NITES writes to labour ministry

NITES said that the global IT firm Wipro issued letter of intent to graduates in May last year, confirming their selection, detailing the role, compensation structure and onboarding process

The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has written to the labour and employment ministry accusing global IT firm Wipro of delaying onboarding of about 250 engineering graduates even though commitments were made by the company through offer letters and formal communication.

 

The graduates were issued a letter of intent in May last year, confirming their selection, detailing the role, compensation structure and onboarding process. In many cases, the company also issued formal onboarding communication confirming a joining date, work location and completion of documentation formalities.

 

NITES said that despite this, the employees were not onboarded on the mentioned dates

 

 

“Over a period of several months, the affected candidates repeatedly approached the company through official emails, calls and written representations, seeking clarity regarding their onboarding status. In response, they either received no reply or were provided vague and automated responses referring to business demand, future batches or tentative timelines that were never honoured. No written explanation, confirmed onboarding date or formal cancellation has been issued to date,” the letter said.

 

This mirrors a similar incident from TCS last year, when India’s largest IT services company delayed onboarding of more than 600 experienced professionals. NITES at that time requested the ministry to intervene and ensure that TCS provides an official and time-bound commitment regarding the onboarding of the affected lateral hires, offer compensation for the duration during which onboarding has been delayed, and explore alternate suitable positions for these professionals within the organisation.

 

Wipro did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on the matter.

 

IT companies have been going slow on hiring for a prolonged period because of the weak macroeconomic environment and lack of demand. During the third quarter, total headcount addition by the top five firms dropped by 4,541. Fresher hiring has also remained muted. Wipro hired only 400 freshers during the quarter ended December and said it will end the financial year with about 8,000 fresher hires, down from its initial target of 10,000.

 

NITES said the ministry should direct the company to issue clear written decisions to all affected candidates either by confirming onboarding timelines within a defined period or by providing reasoned closure so that their careers are not kept in indefinite suspension.