Indian IT Cos Imposing Restrictions On Employees: U.S. Report


BANGALORE: Though, Indian IT companies are the largest, when it comes to sending their employees to work in foreign countries, especially the U.S., the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has alleged that several Indian IT companies, including large ones, are indulging in restrictive employment contracts on employees they send to the United States, reports Shilpa Phadnis of TNN.

CIR which is on a yearlong extensive investigation into this matter found that Indian IT-companies used tools of intimidation that included restrictive employment contracts signed by workers unaware of their rights, as well as exploitation of legal loopholes. The CIR report also reveled around 200 H-1B labour violation investigations, that were conducted by the U.S. Labor Department in the 2013 fiscal and said “about seven companies were cited for imposing or attempting to impose illegal penalties on workers who quit.”

According to a report by MyVisajobs it was said that Indian IT companies were the largest users of H-1B visas. Infosys, for instance, filed 32,379 Labor Condition Applications in the 2013 fiscal, followed by Tata Consultancy Services at 8,785 and Wipro at 6,733.

The CIR report also disclosed that, one of the Indian IT firms "required a year's commitment in some cases and threatened to sue workers who left before the end of their assignments for up to $30,000, as well as withhold pensions and other benefits." In another instance, the report said that this company violated supplier codes of conduct.

Read Also: NASA Seeks New Technology For Space Exploration

India To Launch Heavier Satellite From Kourou Dec 4