About 800 employees of Tata Technologies, Pune, had complained against the Company to the Maharashtra Labour Department, through the Nascent Information Technology Senate (NITES), the non-profit organisation that works for the rights of employees in the IT/ITeS sector. These employees had been issued termination notices on March 1 without any warning.
Following the submission of a formal complaint with the Labour Commissioner’s office, against the illegal layoff of permanent employees, on April 1, most of the concerned employees received an e-mail informing of the withdrawal of Notice of Separation. This has brought relief to the affected staff, even though it is not a permanent solution.
Meanwhile, NITES will continue to fight for the reinstatement of the employees and the payment of backwages.
The official mail informs the employees that the notice was issued “in view of the operational challenges faced by the company, further heightened by the external economic situations.” The Company has assured that it will try to find “suitable opportunities within the organisation” for the employees.
The Company will provide medical insurance benefit till end of June. The terms and conditions pertaining to paid leaves and leave without pay will remain unchanged. The bench policy and its provisions will also continue to apply.
Till June 30, the employees can work as consultants/freelancers with other establishments/organisations, provided they comply with their confidentiality and non-solicitation obligations in keeping with their employment agreement with Tata Technologies. If this agreement is violated, the employees will have to pay damages.
The Company will endeavour to assign the employees to any projects, depending on the clients’ needs, as on 30th June 2021. If no projects are available, the Company will have the right to revisit its decision.
