TCS under fire in India and abroad as layoffs mount

India’s largest IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), is facing mounting criticism over large-scale layoffs, with protests erupting across several cities and global regulators seeking answers.

- SHIKHA SALARIA

The Union of IT and ITES Employees (UNITE) told NewsX that more than 60,000 employees have been terminated in recent months as part of cost-cutting measures. According to UNITE, retrenchments in the past month have been concentrated in the Delhi-NCR region, while in states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, employees were made to sit in termination centres under the supervision of doctors and psychiatrists due to fears of medical emergencies.

The union alleged that TCS and other IT majors are increasingly replacing experienced staff with younger, cheaper recruits to reduce expenses. While the layoffs have primarily affected Indian employees, the United States Senate Judiciary Committee has also expressed concern about American staff being let go.

According to the committee, nearly five dozen employees were laid off at TCS's Jacksonville office in the US last month. In a letter addressed to TCS CEO Krithi Krithivasan on 24 September 2024, Chairman Senator Charles E.

Grassley and Ranking Member Senator Richard J. Durbin questioned the company's hiring and firing practices.