Ensure IT firms give 90-day notice before sacking staff, BJP tells govt

The state BJP on Friday sought the Karnataka government’s intervention to ensure that IT companies issue at least three months’ notice to their employees before terminating them.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, BJP spokesperson Vaman Acharya said that since Bengaluru is the IT capital of the country and has the largest number of employees in the sector, the onus of protecting their interests rests on the state government.

“There has been a slowdown in the IT sector and ‘pink slips’ are being handed to employees. However, the government has to ensure that a minimum of 90 days’ notice is issued to them so that they can make alternative arrangements,” Acharya added. He also pointed out that the role of the state government in protecting the interests of IT employees gains significance as there is no labour union in the sector.
Acharya also pointed out that Karnataka’s overall ranking in “ease of doing business” had plummeted during the past four years due to procedural delays and laxity in administration.

“The government should take steps to bring the state out of the crisis and attract investments both in IT and non-IT sectors,” Acharya said and pointed out that several companies, including Honda Motors, Amazon, Mircosoft and Asian Paints, which had planned to set up or expand their establishments in Karnataka, had shifted to other states.