Infosys lays off hundreds of employees at Mysuru campus, Nites says firm used bouncers

Indian IT giant Infosys has reportedly fired hundreds of its employees who were onboarded in October 2023.

Among those laid off are mostly trainees and campus recruits, reported Times of India, citing Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES).

“In a shocking and unethical move, Infosys has begun forcefully laying off around 700 campus recruits who were onboarded just a few months ago,” said NITES president Harpreet Singh Saluja.

The firm also accused the technology giant of using bouncers and security personnel to intimidate the employees into signing the separation letters forcefully.

He added that he was preparing to raise the issue formally with India’s Labour Ministry.

Moneycontrol pegged the layoff figure at around 400, saying the trainees were fired after they performed poorly in three consecutive evaluation tests.

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Infosys however said it has laid off around 350 employees.

Infosys issues statement

Defending the move, the IT giant said the trainees were fired under a policy which has been in place for two decades.

“All freshers get three attempts to clear the assessment, failing which they will not be able to continue with the organization, as is also mentioned in their contract,” it said.

“This process has been in existence for over two decades and ensures a high quality of talent availability for our clients.”

According to sources quoted by Moneycontrol, trainees were being called in batches of 50 and were asked to sign “mutual separation” letters.

Who are the affected employees?

According to media reports, most of the affected employees are from 2022 engineering batch who underwent training at Infosys’s Mysuru campus.

A report by Economic Times said the trainees waited for more than two years before they were officially asked to join the firm in October 2023.

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They were initially offered an annual package of INR 3.2 lakh to 3.7 lakh ($3,600- 4,200).

‘Bouncers used to intimidate employees’

The NITES has also accused Infosys of using bouncers and security personnel to intimidate employees to leave them with no option but to sign the separation letters.

“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,” said Saluja.

The organisation says the actions violate the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

(With inputs from agencies)