KOCHI: Despite drawing flak from various quarters, the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) operating at Infopark in Kakkanad has again started issuing termination letters to its employees after a short hiatus. Sources said that the company has issued as many as 40 termination letters to its employees so far and almost ten letters came on Monday alone.
Earlier, the company had decided to halt the lay-off for some time by postponing the meetings.
The ongoing protests in Chennai by the Forum for IT Employees (FITE) against the company’s move, and the solidarity announced by various trade unions such as the CITU, INTUC, NDLF and other parties to the protest had forced the company to stop the termination process but a meeting held between the higher authorities of TCS and HR department on Monday decided to go ahead with the lay-off move, sources said.
“When reports on the lay-off started appearing in the media, the TCS authorities had decided to halt issuing the pink slip. But they decided to go ahead with the lay-off plan after a top official from the company came here to study the on-going situation. It was after a meeting with the top authorities and the HR department that they decided to issue the pink slip. We hope the number of sacked employees will be more than 500 this fiscal,” the source said.
According to A D Jayan, general secretary, Association of IT Employees-CITU, apart from those having 5-12 years experience, termination letters have been issued to the employees who are undergoing probation. “When we enquired with the HR department, they informed that they are terminating only the underperformers,” Jayan said.
Meanwhile, sources said the company has convened a meeting with almost 20 group leaders of the projects and urged them to issue termination letters.
The TCS spokesperson didn’t respond to the allegations raised against them. Hibi Eden MLA had held a discussion with the company officials on Monday and asked them to find an amicable settlement to the issue. FITE, an organisation working for the welfare and rights of IT employees in India, has received as many as 4,000 e-petitions from employees who were given pink slips by the company. The FITE is also planning to stage a protest in front of the company and spread awareness among the techies.