Infosys Mysuru layoffs: Workers' union threatens protest; company says testing norms communicated to trainees

New Delhi: Pune-based IT workers union NITES on Wednesday said it will not hesitate to start a protest along with trainees, who were laid off recently by Infosys, if the government does not take "appropriate" action.

Infosys said that every trainee joins with full understanding that performance evaluations are key part of their progress, and asserted that all eligible trainees (over 98 per cent) have received their relieving letter upon separation, along with outplacement services, severance pay, counselling, among other measures.

Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) in a statement on Wednesday said, "...we will continue to stand with these employees until they receive the fairness and dignity they deserve. Today we are politely requesting the authorities for justice, but if the government will not take appropriate measures then NITES along with all the employees will not hesitate to start a massive protest outside Infosys campus." NITES emphasised it is imperative that immediate action is taken to address "this injustice" and added "those responsible must be held accountable for their actions".

Infosys, meanwhile, countered the allegations saying 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," Infosys said in a statement.

The company further said that 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," Infosys said, asserting it takes 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.

Earlier, responding to allegations that assessment criteria and syllabus were altered and intimidation tactics were resorted to leading to the 300-plus terminations at Mysuru campus, Shaji Mathew, Chief Human Resources Officer at Infosys, had said that as the company invests money and effort to select and put trainees through the training program "it is in the interest of Infosys to see that all these people are successful".

Earlier this month, India's second largest IT services company faced a backlash after it laid off over 300 freshers who underwent foundational training at its Mysuru campus but could not clear internal assessments.