Pune: NITES Accuses TCS Of Hiding True Layoff Numbers; Company Calls Claims 'Exaggerated & Baseless'

Pune: A dispute has emerged between Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) over the scale of recent workforce reductions at the IT giant.

According to NITES, TCS’s official financial filings show a headcount drop from 6,13,069 in Q1 FY26 to 5,93,314 in Q2 FY26, which they say translates to a net reduction of 19,755 employees. However, the union alleged that the company publicly admitted to removing only about 12,000 employees during the same period. Highlighting this point, NITES called out the alleged discrepancy, stating, “It is a glaring sign of underreporting.”

NITES President Harpreet Singh Saluja told The Free Press Journal, “This is not a minor difference. Nearly 8,000 more employees than TCS admitted have disappeared from the rolls. TCS is misleading regulators, policymakers, and the public. The job cuts are nothing but corporate cruelty, and it has devastated many families."

NITES has been vocal about TCS's alleged behaviour towards its employees. They have targeted TCS over delays in their onboarding of over 600 employees, and have also criticised their recent layoffs. NITES claimed that it was their efforts that resulted in the onboarding of the 600 employees, too. The TCS layoffs are being criticised as well by the NITES, as the Thursday financial countings have been scrutinised, and questions are being asked.

TCS, however, dismissed these allegations. In response to these queries, TCS told FPJ that the allegations are wrong. Citing its Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Sudeep Kunnumal’s comments, the company said it had “released” only about 1% (around 6,000) of its workforce as part of a restructuring exercise. Kunnumal termed the figures circulating online as “extremely exaggerated” and said they “should be disregarded.”

Kunnumal, in his media statement, has also clarified that the company is “not chasing a number.” He said that the exercise primarily affected mid- and senior-level employees who could not be redeployed.

TCS also said it hired 18,500 people in the last quarter and continues to honour all job offers. Kunnumal reiterated that the company remains focused on becoming the world’s largest AI-led technology services provider.

In July, TCS had said it planned to lay off about two per cent of its global workforce, or roughly 12,000 employees, as part of a larger restructuring effort. NITES has consistently disputed these numbers. They have alleged that employees were pressured to resign and denied full benefits.