TCS layoffs protest: IT employees' union claims 30,000 job cuts, plans global action; Company issues statement

Time of India

13 hours ago

The Union of IT & ITES Employees (UNITE) staged demonstrations across several Indian cities on Tuesday against
Tata Consultancy Services
(TCS), alleging that ongoing job cuts could affect nearly 30,000 employees a
New Indian Express
report stated. However, TCS has rejected the claim, saying the reduction is limited to about 2 per cent of its global workforce, or roughly 12,000 positions.
As per the New Indian Express report, the protests were organised with the support of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). UNITE leaders demanded that TCS withdraw its decision and urged government intervention, warning that the actual number of layoffs could be higher than disclosed.
— UNITEITORG (@UNITEITORG)
Chandra Shekar Azad, UNITE's Joint Secretary, told
The Hindu Business Line
:
"
The only common factor among those affected so far has been experience'. He added that even employees with proven skills and leadership credentials were being removed, creating uncertainty within teams. UNITE's General Secretary, Alangunambi Welkin, told the publication that the union, which has about 300 members including 50–60 from TCS, plans to extend its campaign globally by coordinating with international trade organisations if authorities do not step in.
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Some union members also raised concerns over shortcomings at TCS's Siruseri campus. They alleged that employees had limited access to mandated upskilling tools on personal devices, forcing them to depend on alternative equipment. These claims remain unverified.
TCS Denies
In a statement to
Business Line
, TCS described the union's allegations as 'incorrect and misleading'. The company said the impact of workforce changes would remain limited to 2 per cent of its employees. With a workforce of over 600,000 worldwide, TCS is among India's largest private-sector employers.
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TCS said the restructuring is aimed at building a 'future-ready organisation' with a focus on cloud, AI, and digital transformation. The company added that severance and transition support will be offered to affected employees.
As per an earlier report in ET, Executives of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) told Karnataka's labour authorities that they do not yet know how many employees will be laid off across different cities. The company will submit its response to a complaint by an IT union alleging labour law violations.
At the meeting held earlier this month, TCS was represented by HR executives Boban Varghese Thomas, general manager – HR, and Mahesh GK, assistant manager. They met officials of the Karnataka labour department and representatives of the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), which had raised the complaint.
Labour authorities asked the union to provide a list of grievances received from affected employees. A senior labour official said, 'We believe that any company which makes such decisions needs to be considerate and take care of basic labour rights of the employees, where due process needs to be followed and also be given due compensation. Basic concerns of affected employees must be addressed.'
The conciliation was chaired by Additional Labour Commissioner (Industrial Relations) G Manjunath. The case is being reviewed under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
TCS executives said the company has not yet started the planned layoffs of 2 per cent of its global workforce, which would affect about 12,000 employees. They added that they have not finalised details on how many employees may be impacted or the city-wise or country-wise split.
The company representatives also told officials they do not recognise KITU as a union. They asked if the body had any specific complaints from employees, but the members cited only media reports and did not provide formal submissions.
As per an earlier ET report, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) stated that the government is keeping track of the situation. Labour authorities in Karnataka, where TCS has a large base, have called a conciliation meeting in early September after receiving union complaints. According to TCS's submissions, no individual employees have filed complaints with the regulator so far.
The protests come as IT services companies in India continue to adjust workforce strategies. Nasscom, the industry's trade body, has noted that firms may increasingly shift to product-aligned delivery models, which could lead to a reorganisation of traditional roles.