The terminated employees of Tata Communications Ltd (TCL) have approached the Telecommunication Ministry and the Telecom Commission, seeking reinstatement.
“The axed employees belonged to former Navratna VSNL (which was acquired by the Tatas), and worked sincerely though denied increment for the last 8-10 years. They are in their 50s and are receiving a salary between Rs.10 lakh and Rs.20 lakh annually. The management says that these engineers are a burden while they themselves continue to draw wages in crores,” said Jaimini Padhi, Executive Member, All India VSNL/ TCL Employees’ Association in a letter to Communications Minister Milind Doera.
“I request you to restrain TCL management from unilaterally issuing termination letters. They can talk to the employees who are willing to leave the job if they are paid at least half the pay for their remaining years of service,” Mr. Padhi said in his letter.
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Mr. Deora’s office has received this letter, and the minister has asked his Additional Private Secretary to look into the matter.
In a recent letter to employees, Tata Communications Managing Director Vinod Kumar said that 300 posts had been made redundant due to automation and operational changes at the company. “We have taken this difficult step to realign our business to the current economic climate. Whilst the company’s revenues have grown in the current year, our costs have increased faster, and this will impact our profitability moving forward unless addressed now,” Mr. Kumar said in the letter.
The employees association in its letter to the Telecom Commission said that the employees had been terminated illegally.
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“The services of those who refused to sign the resignation letters have been terminated without following any law,” the association added.