Did TCS discriminate against American workers?

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been investigating allegations against Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) that the company has been discriminating against American workers.

As per media reports, former employees has accused TCS of discrimination against American employees on the basis of age, race and nationality, saying Indian employees were favoured during layoffs.

The complaints have come from TCS employees in the US who are not South Asian. They accuse the company of targeting them during layoffs, while many of their Indian co-workers, most possessing H-1B visas were spared. Additionally, TCS has been accused of depending heavily on H-1B visas (used to pick skilled talent from outside the country when suitable local talent is not readily available) and L-1A visas (meant for managers).

It is reported that Bloomberg went through a few of these complaints.

However, TCS has denied these allegations and calls them baseless. The company maintains that it has always been an equal opportunity employer in the US and that its integrity cannot be questioned or suspected.

It is pertinent to mention here that TCS employs more than six lakh people globally and has a significant presence in the US tech services space.

These complaints have started fanning discussions about the H-1B visa programme, which has been long said to be allowing employers to pick talent from abroad and in the process depriving local talent of opportunities.

Even in the UK, three ex-employees have alleged that TCS discriminated against them on the basis of age and nationality in 2023 during a layoff exercise.