Narayana Murthy's Infosys lays off 400 in Mysuru campus, bouncers deployed amid '70-hour work week' debate

Tech giant Infosys is laying off nearly 700 employees at its Mysuru campus, months after recruiting them in October 2024. The move has been criticised by the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), reported The Economic Times.

As per the report, several employees were called in batches and handed over ultimatum letters, after they reportedly failed to meet the minimum qualifying requirements. 

“At Infosys, we have a rigorous hiring process where all freshers, after undergoing extensive foundational training at our Mysuru campus, are expected to clear internal assessments. All freshers get three attempts to clear the assessment, failing which they will not be able to continue with the organisation, as is also mentioned in their contract. This process has been in existence for over two decades and ensures a high quality of talent availability for our clients”, an official statement from the firm mentioned. 

What does NITES say?

NITES has alleged that the company hired bouncers to “intimidate” employees. 

The company has deployed bouncers and security personnel to intimidate employees, ensuring that they cannot carry mobile phones and are left with no way to document the incident or seek help," The Economic Times quoted NITES as saying.

Harpreet Singh Saluja, NITES president, has condemned the move and called it “undignified”.

“Today, in a completely undignified manner, Infosys has summoned these employees to meeting rooms at its Mysore campus, where they are being coerced into signing "mutual separation" letters under duress,” said NITES President, Harpreet Singh Saluja in a statement.

The report further suggested that the NITES is filing an official complaint to the Labour Ministry Government of India regarding the matter, urging the government to intervene.