KOCHI: Will they be granted respite, or are they doomed to be victims of an “unjust” decision? These and many other questions figure high on the minds of the nearly 800 employees of CorroHealth, a United States-based healthcare analytics and medical coding firm, as they prepare for a meeting called by the state government with the company management on Monday.
According to the CorroHealth Employees’ Association, the state labour secretary, district labour officer, company representatives and employees will be part of the meeting, which will be held at the PWD guest house in Kochi at 11am.
On Friday night, CorroHealth abruptly informed employees across its Kochi and Kozhikode offices that they are being let go on the grounds of “financial constraints” and decline in business volumes.
The association argued that the firm’s assertion was a ruse, noting that it was actively hiring at its other Indian centres, including Hyderabad.
Members questioned the company’s financial woes, citing its Rs 12-crore severance settlement with its staff in Kerala. If they are capable of doing that in a single night, what financial loss are they actually suffering from? the association said.
“At the meeting, we will place our demands, including allowing the Kerala branches to operate and enabling the staff to return to work. We would suggest the company continue its operations in Kochi and Kozhikode for eight to nine months and that it continue to evaluate employees’ performance. Employees should not be targeted during this period.
However, the company can terminate those exhibiting a dip in productivity or work quality. In this way, the company will operate in Kerala for eight to nine months, allowing employees to find other job opportunities,” it said.
According to the association, once employees find new jobs, the company can gradually close its operations. “One of the main problems with employees entering the job market from a company that has wound up its operations is that they lose their bargaining power,” it said, adding that on Monday employees plan to return to work as usual.
“The Kochi office is located in the coworking space operated by IndiQube. We will go to the facility as usual at 9am and enter the workspace, hoping IndiQube has not been notified by the company to lock us out. After that, a 10-member team of employees will take part in the meeting convened by the state government,” it said.
“Claims of financial hardship are false, as just a month or two back the country general manager had announced a very profitable year for the company, with its Kerala operations making a huge contribution. But now, the narrative has changed,” members said, calling on the state government to strike a hard bargain with the management.
“The company winding up its operations in the state citing unviability doesn’t bode well for Kerala’s image at a time when it is promoting itself as an industry friendly state,” the association said. It claimed that the company is not employee-friendly. “We have over the years filed several complaints of harassment with the labour officer. This might have worked against us,” members said.
TNIE tried to get in touch with CorroHealth management. But calls went unanswered.
‘Financial constraints’
On Friday night, CorroHealth abruptly informed employees across its Kochi and Kozhikode offices that they are being let go on the grounds of “financial constraints” and decline in business volumes
CorroHealth Employees’ Association argued that the firm’s assertion was a ruse, noting that it was actively hiring at its other Indian centres, including Hyderabad.
Members questioned the company’s financial woes, citing its Rs 12-crore severance settlement with its staff in Kerala
