BENGALURU, Feb 26: The National Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has expressed its outrage against Infosys, accusing the company of unjust mass layoffs. Allegations suggest that the IT firm manipulated assessments and exploited legal loopholes to avoid labor laws.
NITES President Harpreet Singh Saluja has called for government intervention, describing the terminations as “inhumane and abrupt.”
During a virtual press conference on Wednesday, numerous affected employees claimed that Infosys intentionally made its internal assessment process more difficult, aiming to create failures that would justify their layoffs. “In 2022, the Java and SQL tests were relatively straightforward. However, once we joined in October 2024, the difficulty suddenly increased. The passing rate was raised from 50% to 65%, and negative marking was introduced, making success nearly impossible,” recounted one impacted trainee.
Another trainee alleged that Infosys had initially assured them that negative marking would not apply to their third attempts, only to later go back on that promise. “This was a calculated move to force us out without officially labeling it as a layoff,” the individual said.
Saluja also took aim at Infosys’ hiring practices, asserting that trainees were brought on board as apprentices under the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) without being fully informed.
“The offer letters made no mention of an apprenticeship. These trainees waited 2.5 years to be onboarded, only to find themselves in a government-subsidized program from which Infosys receives 9,000 per trainee each month,” he stated.
Compounding their distress, terminated employees revealed they were denied experience letters, even though Provident Fund (PF) deductions had been made, which are typically reserved for formal employees. “If we were never considered employees, why was Infosys deducting PF from our salaries?” one trainee questioned.
Saluja warned of impending widespread protests if no corrective measures are implemented. “If a corporation like Infosys can dispose of employees without accountability, what message does this send to the entire industry? Are employees merely numbers on a balance sheet?” he asked.
He further disclosed that the matter has been escalated to the Central Government, as earlier complaints were allegedly ignored at the state level. “Previously, the Karnataka Labour Ministry protected Infosys, claiming that complaints lacked employee names. This time, 5,700 impacted employees have lodged grievances directly with both State and Central Governments,” he said.
Following this, the Central Labour Ministry has sent a report on the complaints to the Karnataka government. Nevertheless, Saluja accused Infosys of utilizing diversionary tactics, insisting that its Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) applies solely to permanent employees while avoiding the issue of mass layoffs among trainees.
NITES has accused Infosys of executing “silent layoffs” by spreading dismissals across various locations to evade public scrutiny. “However, this time, they let go of 5,700 employees at once, revealing the extent of this cruel decision,” Saluja claimed.
He added that many trainees found themselves stranded outside the Infosys Mysuru campus late at night, without transportation. “They had to make their own way to bus stands, railway stations, or airports. A company like Infosys should not treat its employees as disposable resources,” he said.
The affected employees have called on policymakers and labor authorities to take action, deeming Infosys’ behavior a betrayal by one of India’s leading IT firms. (UNI)
