New Delhi: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has reportedly received over a hundred complaints from former Infosys employees who were recently dismissed, urging government intervention for their reinstatement and to prevent similar terminations in the future.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has issued a follow-up notice to Karnataka’s labour commissioner, calling for action regarding large-scale layoffs at Infosys’ Mysuru facility.
The labour ministry’s letter dated 25 February, “The applicants are requesting the intervention of the Ministry of Labour & Employment to ensure their reinstatement in employment and to prevent similar unfair dismissals from happening to other employees in the future.”
Additionally, the central labour ministry has acknowledged that jurisdiction over the matter lies with the Karnataka state authorities, directing them to examine the grievances and take necessary action. The letter noted, “You are requested to look into the matter and take necessary action under intimation to the applicant and this office.”
However, in response to reports about the labour ministry’s letter, Infosys has released a statement, in which the company said: “Every trainee joins with the clear understanding that performance evaluations are an integral part of their development and progress.”
The issue stems from the termination of approximately 700 trainees, who were hired over two-and-a-half years ago but officially joined the company in October. Infosys defended its decision, asserting that the trainees had failed internal assessment tests, which were a prerequisite for employment continuation. However, the company later clarified that the actual number of employees who had ‘resigned’ was closer to 350.
The statement issued by Infosys states:
While we understand the disappointment of individuals who have not been able to clear the assessment, It is important to understand facts surrounding this situation. Our testing processes are articulated in the evaluation policy document and also communicated proactively to all trainees. Infosys takes great pride in the quality of its employees, and provides one of the finest training programs that has been globally recognised as a leading foundation program in the industry. Every trainee joins with the clear understanding that performance evaluations are an integral part of their development and progress.
“Each trainee that joins Infosys, fills an Apprenticeship Registration Form accepting their apprenticeship with Infosys, where the training cost is borne entirely by Infosys. Our testing processes are articulated in the evaluation policy document and also communicated proactively to all trainees. Also, as part of the evaluation process, negative marking is across all the three attempts where Multiple-Choice Questions formats are followed. This is part of the evaluation policy document and also communicated proactively at the time of induction of our trainees. Furthermore, all eligible trainees (over 98%) have received their relieving letter upon separation, along with outplacement services, severance pay, and counselling among other measures, as shared earlier.”
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