Infosys trainee termination issue: Laid-off employees petition Prime Minister’s Office to intervene – The Times of India

Infosys employees termination issue: The PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) has received more than a hundred grievances from dismissed Infosys staff seeking job restoration and prevention of similar unjust terminations in future.
The central labour ministry has issued a follow-up notice to Karnataka’s labour commissioner asking for intervention in the large-scale employee dismissals at the IT firm’s Mysuru facility.
“Various complaints which are received by this office address to PMO are enclosed herewith. The applicants are requesting the intervention of the Ministry of Labour & Employment to ensure their reinstatement in employment and to prevent similar unfair dismissals from happening to other employees in the future,” the labour ministry’s letter dated February 25 said according to an ET report.
NR Narayana Murthy-founded Infosys had on February 7 dismissed approximately 700 trainees who were recruited from various campuses two-and-a-half years prior but only joined in October. The company stated they did not pass an internal assessment programme.
The organisation maintains that the actual number of employees who “resigned” was closer to 350.
The company officials subsequently released a statement explaining their stringent recruitment process, which includes assessment tests. They clarified that failing these tests would result in contract termination, as this system ensures they maintain “high quality of talent availability for our clients”.
The central ministry has clarified that the State holds jurisdiction for action under applicable Labour Law in this case.
The letter said, “You are requested to look into the matter and take necessary action under intimation to the applicant and this office.” The 117 students who filed the complaints have also been informed about the letter.
The notice was copied to Harpreet Singh Saluja, who serves as both the lawyer and president of NITES, an organisation dedicated to IT/ITes employees’ welfare.
The affected employees have raised concerns about the fairness of the assessment process, with many saying that the difficulty level was notably higher compared to previous evaluations.
Infosys issued a statement acknowledging the disappointment of unsuccessful candidates whilst emphasising the importance of understanding the complete context.
“While we understand the disappointment of individuals who have not been able to clear the assessment, It is important to understand facts surrounding this situation,” the Infosys statement read.
The company clarified that their assessment procedures are detailed in their evaluation policy document and are actively conveyed to all trainees.
The complete statement from Infosys reads:
Infosys takes great pride in the quality of its employees, and provides one of the finest training programs that has been globally recognized as a leading foundation program in the industry. Every trainee joins with the clear understanding that performance evaluations are an integral part of their development and progress. While we understand the disappointment of individuals who have not been able to clear the assessment, It is important to understand facts surrounding this situation. Each trainee that joins Infosys, fills an Apprenticeship Registration Form accepting their apprenticeship with Infosys, where the training cost is borne entirely by Infosys. Our testing processes are articulated in the evaluation policy document and also communicated proactively to all trainees. Also, as part of the evaluation process, negative marking is across all the three attempts where Multiple-Choice Questions formats are followed. This is part of the evaluation policy document and also communicated proactively at the time of induction of our trainees. Furthermore, all eligible trainees (over 98%) have received their relieving letter upon separation, along with outplacement services, severance pay, counselling among other measures, as shared earlier.