Pune: The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has filed an urgent complaint with the Labour Commissioner's Office in Pune against one of the world’s leading tech giants, Infosys Limited. The complaint was filed on Monday, which alleges that the company is failing to comply with a mandatory Government of Maharashtra directive. The Government Resolution passed by the Maharashtra State Government required employers to grant paid leave or paid time off for voting in the upcoming Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat elections on Tuesday. However, NITES has alleged that Infosys is not adhering to this directive by the state government.
According to NITES, the state government’s resolution, issued on Friday (28th November), explicitly mandates that all establishments must provide employees who are registered voters with either a full day of paid leave or a minimum of one to three hours of paid time off to cast their ballots. The resolution strictly prohibits any loss of wages or deduction of leave for exercising the right to vote. The government stated that voting is a fundamental right of citizens that strengthens democracy and that the process should be carried out smoothly.
NITES President and Advocate Harpreet Singh Saluja said, “Internal communication in Infosys is ambiguous and imposes unauthorised conditions. The company’s email reportedly allows employees only a ‘time out’ to vote without clearly stating that this time off will be paid. Furthermore, NITES claims the company requires employees to seek advance approval from their managers. The company had introduced an ‘impermissible condition’ that could lead to the statutory leave being denied or shortened. The communication also fails to mention the compulsory minimum duration of leave.”
NITES argues that these omissions create uncertainty among employees about potential salary deductions, adjustments to other leave categories, or demands for compensatory working hours. This lack of clarity is viewed by the union as an indirect restriction on employees’ democratic rights and a breach of the company’s legal obligation to follow government directions. The government directives are issued in the public interest and for the strengthening of democracy and should be followed, claims NITES.
Advocate Harpreet Singh Saluja is requesting the Labour Commissioner’s office to launch an inquiry into Infosys’s actions. The union demands that the company be directed to issue a corrected communication that clearly affirms the grant of paid leave or time off, ensuring no adverse consequences for employees who use the leave to vote. The union is also seeking action under the applicable statutory framework for the violation and requesting similar instructions be issued to all IT and IT-enabled services establishments in the Pune Division to secure uniform compliance.
