With a slowdown in India’s Information technology landscape caused by a slew of factors including increasing automation, growing clamour against outsourcing of jobs in the United States, the software industry is bracing for a spate of layoffs and job cuts. Tamil Nadu, with an estimated strength of 4 lakh IT professionals, is witnessing job losses among middle-level managers, reported Economic Times.
In an attempt to put a front against unexpected lay-offs, a group of 100 IT professionals have come forward to form a union. These professionals have signed as members of a new union that will lobby for women’s safety and protect members’ rights by holding IT firms to labour laws, NDTV reported quoting its sources.
Earlier this month, employees sacked by Cognizant over alleged non-performance complained to the Tamil Nadu government that it was an excuse made by the firm to disguise lay-offs. In March the IT major gave pink slip to 5% of total 260,000 employees.
However, most of the techies are reluctant to be part of such a union fearing it may invite the wrath of their employers. According to a report last year, Infosys has over 17,000 employees in Chennai, Wipro has 25,000, and TCS, India’s largest software exporter, has 60,000 employees in 13 centres in the state.
Unlike the trade union of the manufacturing sector which has a strong presence in the state, IT did not feel the absence of a representative body given the good pay and perks the software professionals enjoyed so far. However, with Trump’s revision of H1B visa policy amid growing opposition for outsourcing and automation, the IT workers are bracing for layoffs that may take place in nearv future.
