Unions try to enter Bengaluru’s IT sector

With hundreds of layoffs taking place this year in Bengaluru, information technology (IT) employees’ unions from across the country are gaining traction in the IT-BT capital.
Karnataka has exempted the IT-BT sector from standing orders of the labour department, which is said to have weakened any organisational structure for IT employees in the state, according to the unions that are functioning predominantly in Chennai.
The Tamil Nadu government legalised and allowed the formation of IT unions in the state in 2016, covering the IT sector under the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947. On May 1, Labour Day, the IT-BT minister Priyank Khargehad said that the government was open to labour unions that are ready to work for the welfare of techies in Bengaluru and Karnataka.
When contacted, Kharge said as many as three groups claiming to be representatives of IT employees have already approached him seeking discussions on the recent layoffs and other issues. “The government has to ascertain the vera city of these groups and whether they are in fact representatives of IT employees,” said Kharge.
Meanwhile, an organisation called Forum for IT employees (FITE) is already seeking government intervention in what it calls “illegal layoffs” by major information technology companies.