HYDERABAD: The growing number of tech professionals approaching legal aid over ‘illegal’ termination seems to translate into a growing community of employees fighting for their rights. The phenomenon is not usually found, especially in issues pertaining to handing of pink slips to software professionals.The 52 tech professionals of Verizon Data Services India (VDSI), who filed a writ petition with the State High Court, will join six other tech professionals of Tech Mahindra, who also voiced their dissent against their employers last year.
Mahesh Kumar (name changed), one of the 52 who approached the High Court, said, “The move to approach the High Court by the techies was a long-pending one.” “Who would expect to be forcefully fired in a single day? It was a shock when we went as usual in the morning to only know by the night that we no longer had our job,” said Kumar.“In these seven odd months, the turnout to fight for jobs has increased by ten times. It was only six then, but now it is 52 people who have joined the fight,” observed Satish (name changed), a Tech Mahindra petitioner who approached the High Court in July, last year.
Otherwise, many persons while being separated from their companies are now getting a hefty sum as compensation,” he added. “Growing awareness among tech professionals that labour laws are applicable to the IT industry has brought many people to voice their dissent against illegal terminations,” said Praveen Chandrahas, member, Forum for IT Professionals.
He said, “Unlike two-three years back when the separation was initiated due to poor performance, it is mostly due to using of force now. After coming out, people are unable to find jobs due to re-invention and slowdown of the industry as a whole,” observed Chandrahas. It may be noted that recently, Forum for IT Employees, an IT welfare organisation, formed a trade union in Pune that is exclusively catering to the issues faced by tech professionals in the IT sector.
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