Chennai – The Union of IT & ITES Employees (UNITE) staged a protest in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, on Tuesday against Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) following reports that the IT giant plans to lay off as many as 12,000 mid- and senior-level employees.
Union members alleged that the move is part of a larger restructuring exercise, where experienced staff are being replaced with fresh recruits hired at 80–85% lower salaries. According to UNITE, the actual number of job cuts could rise to 30,000–40,000 employees once the process is complete.
“Reskill, Don’t Retrench”
Protesters carried placards demanding that TCS invest in reskilling and upskilling employees instead of removing them. “The company has the resources to train its workforce. Instead, it is discarding thousands of experienced workers in the name of cost-cutting,” said Janani, a UNITE representative.
The union noted that TCS, India’s largest IT services company, has reported robust financials, with ₹2.55 lakh crore in annual revenue, an operating profit margin of 24.3%, and dividends worth ₹45,588 crore. “Despite such strong profits, the company is slashing jobs. At the same time, top management rewards itself with what can only be called obscene pay hikes, while ordinary employees are denied fair increments,” the union statement said.
Concerns Over Precedent in IT Industry
The protestors also raised concerns that if TCS proceeds with such large-scale layoffs, it may set a dangerous precedent in the IT sector, encouraging other firms to follow suit. “Mass retrenchments in such a profitable company undermine job security across the entire industry,” UNITE said.
Silence From Government
The union further criticized the central government, accusing it of remaining silent on the issue while continuing to award large public-sector contracts to TCS. They demanded that the government intervene and ensure employee welfare is prioritized.
Industry-Wide Impact
Industry observers note that Indian IT majors, including TCS, are under pressure from automation, AI adoption, and global macroeconomic uncertainties. However, unions argue that cutting experienced staff while hiring cheaper freshers erodes knowledge capital and could hurt India’s IT services reputation globally.
UNITE has vowed to continue its campaign until the company halts what it calls “unjust retrenchment.”
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