TCS Faces Labour Ministry Complaint Over Alleged Illegal Layoff of 12,000 Employees
New Delhi, 28th July 2025: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services firm, is facing serious allegations of illegal retrenchment after the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) filed a formal complaint with the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
According to the complaint, TCS has allegedly laid off around 12,000 permanent employees without adhering to the legal procedures mandated under Indian labour laws. The company reportedly informed affected employees via an internal email sent on a Sunday evening, without any prior notice or legal justification.
“This is our third official complaint against TCS in recent weeks,” said Harpreet Singh Saluja, President of NITES. “The first was against its unfair bench policy, and the second addressed the indefinite delay in onboarding over 600 lateral hires. Now, this large-scale layoff is a blatant violation of labour laws, which require government approval, a proper notice period, and compensation.”
Saluja emphasized that these abrupt actions have caused widespread distress among mid and senior-level professionals. “These sudden acts are pushing employees into emotional, financial, and career uncertainty. It is a blatant abuse of power and shows complete disregard for employee welfare.”
He further warned that if urgent intervention is not taken by the authorities, it could set a “dangerous precedent” for the IT industry. “We are considering mass nationwide protests in coordination with other IT unions if the Ministry fails to act swiftly,” Saluja said.
Indian labour laws prohibit retrenchment of workers without prior approval from the government and mandate specific protocols for layoffs, especially for companies employing more than 100 workers.
The development comes amid growing concerns about job security in the IT sector, which has witnessed waves of layoffs and delays in hiring over the past year due to global economic uncertainties.
