TCS layoff: The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) wrote a letter to the Labour Department, arguing that the laying off of 12,000 employees by the IT giant is an ‘unlawful move’. The union added that the employer cannot compel an employee to resign and that every employee has the legal right to refuse a forced resignation. 

KITU said it “strongly condemns this illegal action by the TCS management”. “As per the Industrial Disputes Act, it is a punishable offence for an employer to compel an employee to resign. Every employee has the legal right to refuse to sign a forced resignation. This action is completely illegal and qualifies as an unfair labour practice under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act. KITU urges the TCS management to respect the law of the land and immediately reinstate all retrenched employees,” it said. 

It added that the law mandates any company employing more than 100 workers to obtain prior permission from the government before carrying out any retrenchment. “In this case, thousands have been retrenched without obtaining such permission, which is a serious violation,” the union said. 

The employees’ body demanded an immediate intervention from the government to stop the layoffs. KITU said it stood in solidarity with the employees of TCS and urged IT/ITeS employees to show solidarity. 

Meanwhile, based on a separate complaint by the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), the Labour Ministry has summoned TCS, seeking a response on the layoffs as well as the delays in onboarding new recruits. NITES had earlier slammed the company’s actions, labelling the layoffs “inhumane,” “unethical,” and “outright illegal.”

The IT Ministry had also stated earlier that it is closely monitoring TCS’ decision to lay off over 12,000 employees. It is in touch with the company and aims to understand the underlying reasons behind the move.