Pune: 600 professionals hired by IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) are experiencing indefinite delays in their joining. A complaint was filed regarding this with the Union Labour and Employment Ministry by the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES). Accordingly, Under Secretary Anita Bisht of the Industrial Relations Division of the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has written a letter to the Principal Secretary of the Department of Labour of the Maharashtra State Government to take action.
According to information provided by NITES, over 600 lateral hires were made by TCS in India, but their joining date was indefinitely delayed. Many of these people quit stable jobs or relocated for the TCS job, expecting to join soon. However, they are now facing financial and emotional struggles as they do not have an income yet.
A complaint was filed by NITES with the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment on 22nd July, which has been acknowledged. The Union Ministry has forwarded the complaint to the Maharashtra Government for action, as it falls under their purview, due to the majority of cases being from Maharashtra.
The complaint filed by NITES says that the professionals are not confined to one location but spread across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi. Everyone involved has between two and 18 years of experience and were contributing members of their previous organisations. No official communication, revised schedule, or assurance has been provided since their onboarding. The distressed employees are struggling with household responsibilities, EMIs, rent, and basic livelihood needs.
NITES said that many of the complaints they received were also from the TCS office operating in Pune's IT hub, Hinjawadi.
President of NITES, Harpreet Singh Saluja, told The Free Press Journal, "It is ironic that the government acted quickly to pass laws that help companies, like extending working hours, but is very slow in addressing employees' problems. We demand that the Maharashtra Government act with the same urgency for employees as it did with employers. This delay is a serious violation of trust and livelihood rights. We will continue to support the employees until the matter is solved."
TCS did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication. This story will be updated if a response is received.
