NEW DELHI: IT major Wipro is yet to take a call on its retrenchment plans for India, but it seems to have already begun the exercise in other countries as it prepares for the hit on its revenues from the viral pandemic.
The software services exporter has laid off nine employees in Bangladesh where the company manages the complete IT landscape of Telenor Group-owned firm Grameenphone. A regional news portal Bangladesh Times reported that atleast 10 employees were asked to resign and when they refused, Wipro had fired them, which is a clear violation of the terms of the agreement.
The retrenched staff also alleged that not only the company has asked them to leave without notice, but discrimination towards local hires in terms of salaries, bonuses, promotions, provident funds and gratuities have been the constant irritants in the organisation.
When TNIE got in touch with Wipro, the company denied such allegations stating over 90 per cent of its employees are locals and “we will continue to hire locally.”On the lay off exercise, too, the company denied it was pandemic-prompted.
“Changes in a customer’s business requirements and consequent realignment of the workforce impacted nine employees at our office in Bangladesh. Any speculation that this decision was pandemic induced has no basis,” a Wipro spokesperson said. The IT firm has close to 200 employees in Bangladesh.
Recently after the company declared its fourth-quarter earnings, Wipro said it was considering “all options” to keep costs under control, including sending some of its staff on furloughs.
“We will have to cut costs wherever possible. These are tough times and we may have to take tough decisions,” President & Chief Human Resources Organisation Saurabh Govil had said.
The company has also formed three three task forces: for crisis management and business community, to gain market share, and deal with the human resources CSR.