Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) extends its support to the All India Protest Action (Save India Day) called by the organizations of workers, peasants and agricultural workers on 9th August against the anti-working class and anti-people policies of the Government. KITU appeals all IT/ITeS Employees and other sections of the society to join the protest (10.30 am) from their homes (showing placards and raising slogans).

The reports on large scale retrenchments and salary cuts are coming from IT/ITeS industry in which thousands of employees are getting victimized. The Government at the centre, in a most dubious manner, taking advantage of prolonged lockdown period, has been targeting the rights of the workers and the trade unions towards abrogation of labour rights. It has taken the strategy of letting loose their pliant state governments to take such anti-worker and anti-people autocratic measures and many other state governments are being made to follow the same path to the detriment of the rights and livelihood of workers.

The Government of Karnataka through an ordinance “The Industrial Disputes and Certain Other Laws (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance”, amended labour laws including the Industrial Disputes Act, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, and the Factories Act in favour of the employers in the name of addressing challenges faced by industries due to COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Industrial Disputes Act, Companies that employ more than 100 employees need to obtain approval from the Government in order to execute layoffs, retrenchments and closure. The current changes in the Section 25(K) of the Industrial Disputes Act will exempt industries that employ up to 300 workers. It is to be noted here that through this amendment, the employees of more than 90% of the companies will lose their protection given by the ID act.

Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union strongly condemns this ordinance which allows companies to retrench/layoff its employees without even consulting the Government. KITU appeals to all IT/ITeS Employees to join the protest action with slogan “No to Retrenchments! No to Labour Law Amendments!”, and register the opposition to the retrenchments, labour law amendments and other anti-working class and anti-people policies of the central and state Governments.

Don’t use pandemic
as a cover to implement
Hire & Fire Policy

The Government of Karnataka on Thursday, through an ordinance “The Industrial Disputes and Certain Other Laws (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance”, amended labour laws including the Industrial Disputes Act, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, and the Factories Act in favour of the employers in the name of addressing challenges faced by industries due to COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Industrial Disputes Act, Companies that employ more than 100 employees need to obtain approval from the Government in order to execute layoffs, retrenchments and closure . The current changes in the Section 25(K) of the Industrial Disputes Act will exempt industries that employ up to 300 workers.

It is to be noted here that through this amendment, the employees of more than 90% of the companies will lose their protection given by the ID act.

Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) strongly condemns this ordinance which allows companies to retrench/layoff its employees without consulting the Government. KITU calls upon the employees of IT/ITeS industry to come forward for a united resistance along with the workers of other sectors to oppose this attack on the working class under the cover of Covid 19 pandemic.

Stop Illegal Mass Retrenchment in Cognizant

The reports on large scale layoffs are coming from ‘Cognizant’ in the name of ‘effectively managing workforce utilisation’. Thousands of employees all over India are going to be the victims of this. Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union strongly condemns this illegal and inhuman decision taken by the management of Cognizant.

Several victimized employees approached KITU, and Union is initiated legal battle against the Cognizant management for this illegal action.According to the Labour Laws, Companies that employs more than 100 employees need to obtain approval from the Labour department in order to execute layoffs. Rebranding a layoff by arguing that employees voluntarily resigned when they were, in fact, forced to resign, is also against the law.

KITU urges all the affected employees to refuse to resign if asked to do so by the company. Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union extends all support to the affected employees of Cognizant and urges the company to respect the law of the land. KITU demands urgent intervention from the government to this matter and request to take stricter actions against the management who violated the labour laws.

KITU opened a Help Desk to support the affected employees of Cognizant

Don’t Panic!
Refuse to Resign!
Call US @ 9605731771 / 7025984492 / 9742045570

Udaan sacked more than 600 employees in Bangalore

Udaan, a B2B e-commerce platform sacked more than 600 employees working on contractual basis in Bangalore without any notice and violating the direction given by the Central Ministry of Labour & Employment.
Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union strongly condemns this illegal and inhuman decision taken by the management of Udaan.

Ministry of Labour & Employment, GOI has sent an advisory note on 20th March 2020, to all the employers directing them not to reduce salary or terminate employees including casual or contractual workers during the Covid-19 lock down.

Acting against the GOI direction during this catastrophic situation is acting against the Nation’s interest and hence KITU demands urgent intervention of the Government to this matter to protect the employees and request to take stricter actions against the management of Udaan who violate the advisory note and labour laws.
Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union extends all support to the affected employees of Udaan and urges the management to respect the law of the land.

Organize!
Call US @ 9605731771 / 7025984492 / 9742045570

No to retrenchments!
No to salary cuts!

Even though Ministry of Labour & Employment, GOI has sent an advisory note on 20th March 2020, to employers “not” reduce salary or terminate employees during the 21 days of COVID 19 lockdown, announced by Prime Minister of India to mitigate the catastrophic situation, some of the IT/ITeS Companies started retrenchments and salary cuts. KITU strongly condemns this illegal and inhuman act by the management.

Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union extends all support to the affected employees and requesting them to refuse to resign if asked to do so by the management. Acting against the GOI direction during this catastrophic situation is acting against the Nation’s interest and hence KITU demands urgent intervention of the Government to this matter and request to take stricter actions against the companies who violate the advisory note and labour laws. KITU urges the companies to respect the law of the land and not to indulge in trimming activities like retrenchments even after the lockdown period.

Don’t Panic!
Refuse to Resign! Organize!
Call US @ 9605731771 / 7025984492 / 9742045570

Implement Work From Home policy
as part of encouraging social distancing to curb the spread of corona virus

Even after Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases reported in some of the IT companies and Tech Parks in Bengaluru, most of the tech companies still not allowing the employees to work from home.

Karnataka State Government also advised IT firms to encourage work from home among the employees, Still most of the companies not taking the advice seriously.

Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union demands that the work from home facility should be provided to employees to prevent the further spread of the Pandemic. All employees who have to stay away from work due to the coronavirus infection/isolation should be given paid sick leave.

KITU demand immediate intervention from Karnataka State Government to ensure that employees are allowed to work from home and those who are under infection / isolation getting paid sick leave.

IT Employees’
Bike Rally
in Bangalore

In support of All India General Strike against anti working class and divisive policies of Central Government

Organized By
Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU)

Filmed and Edited: Comrade Nasim Afeef

IT Employees’
Bike Rally
in Bangalore

Organized by Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) in support of All India General Strike against anti working class and divisive policies of Central Government. CITU Karnataka State President Comrade S Varalakshmi inaugurated the rally at Madiwala.

MPS Ltd Unit of Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU)
General Body meeting
at Suri Bhavan, Bangalore

Union of IT & ITeS Employees (UNITE, Tamil Nadu) EC-member Comrade Ahmed and Comrade Yogesh handing over a cheque of Rs. 20,000/- to KITU Secretary Comrade Ullas C as a support and solidarity to the legal fight against the Karnataka Government notification which extended the exemption given for IT/ITeS sector from the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act.

Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union filed a writ petition in High Court against Karnataka Government notification which extended the exemption given for IT/ITeS sector from the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, for five more years and also challenging the Constitutional validity of section 14 of the Industrial Employment Standing Orders Act.

Government of Karnataka by notification no: LD 194 LET 2016 dated 25/5/2019 extended for further 5 years applicability of Industrial Employment Standing Orders Act 1946 to IT/ITES/Startups/Animation/Gaming/Computer Graphics/Telecom/BPO/other knowledge based industries.

Victory for MPS Ltd Employees and Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union

The Management of MPS Ltd, Bangalore, forced to agree all the demands put forward by Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union. A settlement is signed by both parties in the presence of Deputy Labour Commissioner at Karmika Bhavana, Bangalore

1. The Management withdrawn the decision to transfer 207 employees from Bangalore to Dehradun.

2. The pending appraisal will be given to all employees with arrears from April 2018

3. The irregularities in the salary slip and bonus calculation will be corrected

4. All the four terminated employees including KITU MPS Unit President Comrade Sridhara ML will be taken back

The decision was arrived at a bilateral discussion of MPS management and KITU leadership. KITU President Comrade VJK Nair, Secretary Sooraj Nidiyanga and the office bearers of the MPS Unit of KITU attended representing the MPS Employees. From the Management side Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary Suneeth Malhothra and Chief Operational Officer and BAU head Srinivasa rao attended.

MPS Ltd, Bangalore, Employees were on struggle path from February 2018 against the management decision to transfer 207 employees to Dehradun. The company was harassing its employees individually to accept the transfer or face the wrath of dismissal. They were asked to resign forcefully by accepting a mere compensation amount of one month Basic salary. The Management resorted to a number of illegal terminations of those who questioned forced resignation. Several Senior Employees who have put in more than 20 to 25 years of service were facing untold mental agony due to the consistent and persistent intimidation and threatening by the Management. As a Union espousing the cause of workmen, KITU has raised an Industrial dispute in order to protect the employees of MPS Limited from the illegal and unjustified acts of the Management. As part of intervention, an immediate meeting of employees was called on 18th February 2018, which was the First General Body of MPS Unit and the meeting elected the unit committee. As the dispute was filed, company stopped the retrenchment.

While the matter was under the conciliation at Labour Department, violating the Section 33 of the Industrial Disputes Act the Management illegally terminated 10 KITU members including MPS Unit Secretary Comrade Honnesh Gowda on 18th Sep 2018. Immediately the MPS unit of KITU came in protest in front the company where hundreds of employees gathered and conducted a candle light vigil raising slogans against the inhuman acts of the Management.

The next day union filed a dispute for violation of Section 33 of Industrial Disputes Act. Following which Management was forced to reinstate all the terminated employees along with continuity of service and back wages.

As per the direction of Deputy Labour Commissioner bilateral discussion between the management and union started from September 2018. After multiple bilateral discussions and conciliation meetings, management finally agreed on all the demands put forward by Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union. The Settlement is signed by both parties in the presence of Deputy Labour Commissioner at Karmika Bhavana, Bangalore. KITU President Comrade VJK Nair, Secretaries Comrade Sooraj Nidiyanga and Shammi N, CEC member Comrade Praveen Ravi attended the meeting along with the office bearers of KITU MPS Unit Comrades Sridhara ML, Honesh Gowda and Edward Thomas. From the Management side Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary Suneeth Malhothra, Chief Operational Officer and BAU head Srinivasa rao and Adv. Sachin attended the meeting.

KITU congratulate the employees of MPS Ltd who stood with MPS Unit of the Union against the inhuman and illegal action by the Management.