BENGALURU: With many firms handing over pink slips to their employees, a sense of panic has prevailed in the IT sector. The Karnataka government has stepped in with an offer to provide legal assistance to IT professionals, who lost their jobs while also reaching out to firms with concerns raised by employees.
State IT Minister Priyank Kharge informed the Legislative Council that the government was aware of layoffs in the IT sector.“IT employee forums have alleged that the appraisal system in the IT sector is not transparent. We are aware of their problems and are trying to help them with legal aid. We are also talking to corporate companies regarding the problems raised by the forums.
The companies are yet to respond,” he said, replying to BJP MLC Tara’s questions on layoffs in the IT sector. A few days back, Forum for IT Employees (FITE) members met Kharge where they demanded that IT companies be included under Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act. According to a FITE member, “Employees facing arbitrary terminations, unreasonable working hours and sexual harassment do not have adequate support from the law and the government.”
Kharge said one of the main reasons for layoffs is the visa restriction imposed by the US, Singapore and Australia where the governments are emphasising on local talent. This has caused damage to IT industry, he said. He said that change in technology is another reason.