THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions, in a statement issued on November 6, has expressed deep concern at the mass retrenchments of employees in the IT sector. IT majors like Cognizant, Infosys, and Capgemini have reportedly announced retrenchment of thousands of workers. While Capgemini has already laid off around 5000 workers, Cognizant is reported to be laying off 7000 of its workers. Infosys announced that around 10 per cent of its employees at different levels, 2,200 at senior manager level and around 4000-10,000 at the associate and middle level will be fired.

All these IT multinational companies have been earning huge profits and there is no reason to retrench employees. The firing operations are being taken up on the pretexts of ‘growth plans’, ‘restructuring’, ‘role rationalisation’ etc, which are nothing but measures to maximise their profits at the cost of employees.

It is highly regrettable that the BJP government at the centre as well as the different state governments have remained silent spectators to this illegal firing of employees.

CITU commends the IT employees in different states, who are resisting these illegal measures of IT companies and are gradually getting organised, to collectively fight this injustice.

CITU demands the government at the centre as well as the concerned state governments to stop this illegal retrenchment of IT employees and take measures to protect them. It reiterates its support and solidarity to the IT employees and urges upon them to continue their collective resistance.

CITU also calls upon all its members and state committees to strongly oppose the illegal retrenchments by the IT multinational companies and stand in support of the IT employees.