Getty ImagesPUNE: The Labour Commissioner has asked IT services firm Wipro to respond to a complaint filed against it in Pune, alleging that 300 employees have been put on the bench and salary has been deducted of an undisclosed number of entry level staffers, most of whom are BPO employees.
“We have not issued a show cause notice to the company, just forwarded a copy of the complaint against them and asked them to respond. We need both sides of the issue,” said Vikas Panvelkar, Deputy Commissioner of Labour, Maharashtra.
NITES said that this went against the government guidelines of not firing people or cutting salaries during the pandemic.
A Wipro spokesperson said, “The speculation related to the workforce is unfounded and has no basis. Wipro categorically denies these rumors. There are no salary cuts for employees who are in between projects and are awaiting new assignments. Also, the company wants to reiterate that there are no retrenchment plans. Wipro has well defined policies and people practices in place to take care of its employees. Separately, Wipro is yet to receive any communication from the Labour Department. The company will present the facts before the department, as and when required.”
In the past month, NITES has filed complaints against other tech firms like Capgemini and Amdocs in Pune around employee complaints on pay cuts.
“We have not issued a show cause notice to the company, just forwarded a copy of the complaint against them and asked them to respond. We need both sides of the issue,” said Vikas Panvelkar, Deputy Commissioner of Labour, Maharashtra.
Last week, Maharashtra-based IT union National Information Technology Employees Sena (NITES) filed a petition with the Pune Labour Commission based on complaints received from Wipro BPO employees about being put on the bench following certain projects slowing down on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Raghunath Kuchik, Founder, NITES.
NITES said that this went against the government guidelines of not firing people or cutting salaries during the pandemic.
A Wipro spokesperson said, “The speculation related to the workforce is unfounded and has no basis. Wipro categorically denies these rumors. There are no salary cuts for employees who are in between projects and are awaiting new assignments. Also, the company wants to reiterate that there are no retrenchment plans. Wipro has well defined policies and people practices in place to take care of its employees. Separately, Wipro is yet to receive any communication from the Labour Department. The company will present the facts before the department, as and when required.”
In the past month, NITES has filed complaints against other tech firms like Capgemini and Amdocs in Pune around employee complaints on pay cuts.
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