The Central government has intervened to examine Infosys’ decision to dismiss 350 newly hired employees, following a complaint lodged by the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES). The government has directed the matter to the Karnataka labour commissioner, requesting suitable action.
In an official correspondence, the Centre indicated, “A request has been made to the Ministry of Labour and Employment to take immediate action to prevent unlawful termination by Infosys Limited…,” as reported by TOI.
The trainees were let go after not meeting the internal assessment standards at the Mysuru campus, where Infosys provides training prior to assigning freshers to projects. The assessments evaluated skills in Java programming and database management systems (DBMS), with a minimum passing score set at 65 percent. Infosys allowed three attempts for the trainees, but they were unable to pass the examination.
Industry-Wide Examination of Freshers’ Dismissals
The recent developments at Infosys mirror actions taken by Wipro, which has also terminated trainees who did not pass internal evaluations following their onboarding. Wipro’s Chief HR Officer, Saurabh Govil, justified this decision by emphasizing the necessity for candidates to stay technically proficient, particularly as many were recruited two years prior but only recently began their employment.
This trend of postponed onboarding followed by dismissals has ignited discussions regarding the workforce management approaches of IT companies. Numerous freshers who received job offers in 2022 experienced delays of over a year before starting their roles, only to encounter rigorous assessments that resulted in job losses.
Infosys Encounters Criticism Amidst IT Hiring Slowdown
The dismissal of 350 freshers by Infosys occurs in the context of cautious hiring practices within India’s IT sector, influenced by global economic instability and a slowdown in deal flows. Various firms, including TCS, Wipro, and HCLTech, have either postponed onboarding processes or reduced their recruitment of freshers.
The response from the Karnataka labour commission regarding this issue will establish a benchmark for how IT companies manage trainee dismissals and uphold employee rights in India. The situation is currently under investigation, with IT unions advocating for enhanced transparency and equity in hiring and termination practices.
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