The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) has filed an industrial dispute against Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) after the company announced its decision to fire over 12,000 employees by the end of the fiscal year 2025-2026 (FY26).
Representatives from KITU met with Additional Labour Commissioner G Manjunath to submit a complaint against the decision made by TCS, citing multiple employee grievances. The union has urged the labour department to take action against the proposed layoffs for alleged violations of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and conditions imposed by the Government of Karnataka on reporting service particulars.
Under the Industrial Disputes Act, any company with more than 100 employees has to obtain approval from the government before carrying out layoffs or retrenchments. As per the act, such actions are only allowed for specific reasons and conditions as defined by the Act.
Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad also asked TCS recently to explain its reasons behind the layoffs, stating, “We have kept the sunrise companies outside the ambit of labour laws, and for the past five years, we have been giving them exemption year after year. But there are conditions attached.”
In its filing, KITU demanded criminal proceedings against officials involved in the violations and immediate action from the Labour Department to ensure justice for the affected employees.