Amid mass layoffs in the Information Technology (IT) industry, two labour unions for software professionals on Monday, IT employees wing of New Democratic Labour Front (NDLF) and Forum for IT Employees (FITE) met Chennai labour joint commissioner to put forward their demands over job safety.
Citing newspaper reports that major IT firms such as Tata Consultancy Service (TCS), Wipro, IBM, Infosys plan to cut short its employee strength in their Tamil Nadu office, joint commissioner of labour, Chennai, R K Ravishankar called for meeting with the unions of IT companies, Financial Express reported.
The union demanded immediate relief to employees who have filed petitions under section 2A of IT Act against forced resignation, the NDLF's IT employees' wing said in a release.
NDLF vice-president Kasirajan told Deccan Chronicle that "hundreds of IT employees complained to us regarding practices on IT campuses. CTS employees told us that anybody with top rating was not assigned projects and their profiles were locked. They were also threatened by the HR to submit resignations".
The unions requested the labour department to set up an inquiry on the employees who has to resigned, and also pleaded the department to direct companies to submit the details of employees who have resigned this year.
The other demands the unions put forward are access to employee performance records, union members' representation should be assured in project performance appraisal exercise and recognition of NDLF's IT employees wing by companies management, the released stated.
FITE also demanded that companies should institute a grievance redressed cell. "The government must direct to implement a grievance redressed cell and ask an explanation for why these have not been implemented till now," the union said. "The government must take strong action against gender based discrimination perpetuated by IT companies," it added.
Several IT giants have made news over the past few months amid reports of mass layoffs. Five IT giants – Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Tech Mahindra – cut down its work force by almost 1,821 people.
