Maharashtra Labour Department Issues Notice to TCS Over Forced Employee Transfers

The Labour Department of the Maharashtra Government has issued a notice to the information technology (IT) giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) regarding its transfer practices. This action follows a formal complaint filed by the Pune-based union Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) with the Ministry of Labour and Employment against TCS, citing concerns about the company's unethical transfer practices.

The union has alleged that the company has systematically forced more than 2,000 employees to relocate to different cities without proper notice or consultation. The company (TCS) had threatened the employees that failure to comply with the transfer directions would result in disciplinary actions. The company now has unethically stopped the salary of employees, who are opposing these forced transfers. NITES strongly condemns the illegal tactics of TCS forcing employees either to accept the forced transfers or resign from the job,” said Harpreet Singh Saluja, President of NITES.

An email TCS sent to some employees to move to Mumbai said, This is with reference to your transfer order to TCS Mumbai followed by a transfer email directing you to report to the said branch within 14 days and complete the transfer process. However, it has been noted that you have failed to report to the transferred branch till date the company is initiating a stoppage of your salary with immediate effect, Business Standard reported.

TCS has directed its employees to return to working from the office five days a week, marking a significant shift after nearly three years of remote work during the pandemic. However, similar to other IT companies, TCS is facing challenges in convincing employees to fully return to the office.