Joint statement by Karnataka State IT/ITES Employees Union (KITU), Association of IT Employees (AITE) – Kerala & Union of IT and ITES Employees (UNITE) – Tamilnadu
JOINT STATEMENT ON TCS LAYOFFS: HALT THE ILLEGAL ONSLAUGHT ON INDIAN IT EMPLOYEES
12th October 2025
On October 9th, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) released its second-quarter financial results, which included data that was both shocking and in line with claims made by IT employee unions across India.
According to the official data released by TCS for Q2 FY2026, the company recorded a net reduction of 19,755 employees in its total workforce. When combined with the number of new hires made during the same period, it reveals that a staggering 38,255 employees were let go in this single quarter.
In the same period, TCS reported a consolidated revenue of ₹65,799 crore (Sixty Five Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Nine Crore). This massive revenue, earned in a single quarter, makes the subsequent mass termination and coercion of employees particularly egregious.
THE BIG LIE: VOLUNTARY RESIGNATIONS
TCS’s HR head claimed that only 6,000 of these 38,255 departures were due to “involuntary attrition,” suggesting that a colossal 32,255 people left the company voluntarily. We strongly dispute this claim and assert that the company employed cruel and illegal methods to force these employees out.
These tactics reported repeatedly in the media represent the most inhumane and cruel layoff execution Indian IT employees have faced so far.
Accounts from Affected Employees Expose the Coercion:
Employees were moved from projects to the bench without notice and then forced to resign, sometimes within an hour’s notice.
Employees on the bench were made to hunt for projects, only to be denied opportunities by HR despite securing successful interviews, effectively cornering them into resignation.
Employees with serious personal problems, including healthcare issues, were met with insensitivity and forced to continue working or face termination.
Female employees on maternity leave or those who had recently returned were forced to come to the office or threatened with resignation if they requested to extend their maternity benefits, further exacerbating their physical and emotional distress.
Employees who refused to resign were coerced and threatened by HR, with warnings that their future careers would be sabotaged.
The separation meetings are allegedly happening while the employees’ phones and digital devices are collected to prevent communication or making evidence of the coercion.
TCS’s claim of providing so-called “generous severance packages” only surfaced after IT employee unions across India started protesting. This exposure of the company’s motives is further compounded by the complaints we are receiving that the promised severance package of three months is not being given to most employees, and many are being forced to resign without receiving any severance at all.
IMMEDIATE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION DEMANDED
With nearly 40,000 employees already let go and TCS creating fear of an impending new round of layoffs, we are witnessing a sustained and cruel onslaught on the IT employees of India.
By openly accepting that it has retrenched 6,000 employees, TCS has admitted to a violation of the Industrial Disputes Act, which mandates proper procedure and prior government approval for such a mass termination. The government must immediately intervene to uphold the law of the land.
We urge the State and Central Governments to take immediate responsibility for their failure to enforce labour laws and regulate IT companies, allowing corporations like TCS to exploit and mistreat employees with impunity. The lack of effective oversight and enforcement has emboldened companies to disregard workers’ rights, and it is imperative that governments take concrete actions to protect the rights and livelihoods of workers by regulating these companies immediately.
We the undersigned unions urge all IT employees, and specifically all TCS employees, to join in union and expose these illegal and unethical activities. By working together, we can hold companies like TCS accountable and protect our livelihoods.
Join the movement. Unionize now. ✊
Suhas Adiga,
General Secretary,
Karnataka State IT/ITES Employees Union (KITU) – Karnataka
9483286866
A D Jayan,
General Secretary,
Association of IT Employees (AITE) – Kerala
9447381034
Alagunambi Welkin,
General Secretary,
Union of IT and ITES Employees (UNITE) – Tamilnadu
7358061136