Maharashtra Labour Department slaps notice on TCS

We have urged the Ministry of Labour and Employment to investigate TCS’ actions and take appropriate measures to protect IT workers from such unethical practices. We will continue to fight for the rights of IT workers and ensure that they are not subjected to unethical practices such as forced transfers - Harpreet Singh Saluja, president, NITES, tells Bizz Buzz

Work Rage

• TCS has 6 lakh employees globally
• It asked its employees to work in office since Oct 1
• It’s where the genesis of the problem lies
• It gave transfer orders to around 700-800 employees
• It reportedly stopped salary for opposing transfers
• Less than 0.1% of total employment force received the orders
• Employees can be transferred to any location worldwide

Mumbai: The Labour Department of Maharashtra Government has issued a notice to IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) over its ‘unfair’ transfer practices. The move comes after Pune-based union Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) had filed a formal complaint with the Ministry of Labour and Employment against TCS for its ‘unethical transfer practices’. A joint meeting of the complainant and the TCS management has been convened by the Labour Department on Jan 18.

Sources at TCS confirmed of receiving a letter from the Labour Department of the Maharashtra Government in this context and said that the 6 lakh odd employees are working globally for the IT giant. However, a majority of the staff had been working from home since when the Covid-19 struck.

Now, in the post-pandemic era, TCS has asked all its employees to start coming to office since October 1. It is where the genesis of the problem lies. However, the sources clarified that it is despite the fact that as per appointment letters issued to its employees, they can be transferred to any location worldwide as per the company’s requirement. Again, the sources clarified that the transfer orders have been issued to merely 700-800 employees which comprise less than 0.1 per cent of the total employment force of the company.

NITES had filed a formal complaint with the Ministry of Labour and Employment against Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for its unethical transfer practices. The Maharashtra State Government Labour Department has now issued a notice regarding the same to the Tata Consultancy Services. NITES has received more than 300 complaints that TCS has been systematically forcing more than 2,000 employees to transfer to different cities without proper notice or consultation, causing immense hardship for them and their families. The company had threatened the employees that failure to comply with the transfer directions will result in disciplinary actions. The company now has unethically stopped salary of employees who are opposing these forced transfers. NITES strongly condemns the illegal tactics of TCS forcing employees either to accept the forced transfers or resign from the job.

The company is ignoring all the financial hardship, family disruption, stress and anxiety that these forced transfers cause to employees.

Talking to Bizz Buzz, Harpreet Singh Saluja, president, NITES, said: “We have urged the Ministry of Labour and Employment to investigate TCS’ actions and take appropriate measures to protect IT workers from such unethical practices. We believe that all IT workers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. We will continue to fight for the rights of IT workers and ensure that they are not subjected to unethical practices such as forced transfers.”