Summoned TCS for consultation on layoffs: Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad
Bengaluru, Jul 31 (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad on Thursday said that his department has asked Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to explain the reason behind large-scale layoffs.
"Yesterday we got information that the TCS has laid off 12,000 employees. Our department has called TCS officials just to have consultation to know the reason," the minister told reporters here.
He said Sunrise Industries have been exempted from labour laws but there are conditions attached. "We have kept the sunrise companies outside the ambit of labour laws and for the past five years we have been giving them exemption year after year but yet there are conditions attached," Lad said.
A sunrise sector refers to a new or relatively new industry that is experiencing rapid growth and is expected to become a significant driver of the economy in the future.
"If they want to layoff somebody, they have to give us information. Accordingly, we are talking to them," he added.
TCS had indicated that it is set to lay off about 2 per cent, or 12,261 employees, of its global workforce this year, with the majority of those impacted belonging to middle and senior grades.
As of June 30, 2025, TCS's workforce stood at 6,13,069. It increased its workforce by 5,000 employees in the recently concluded April-June quarter. The move is part of the company's broader strategy to become a "future-ready organisation", focusing on investments in technology, AI deployment, market expansion, and workforce realignment, TCS said in a statement.
The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) had taken a strong objection over the mass retrenchment and filed a complaint against TCS with the Additional Labour Commissioner G Manjunath.
In a statement, the union said it has demanded legal action against the management for violations of the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, as well as the conditions imposed by the Government of Karnataka concerning the reporting of service particulars.
Minister Lad said another reason behind calling TCS and other industries was to convey to them that the government is not accepting their request for increasing working hours by nine to 10 hours a day, Lad said.
He said if the employees are ready to work then we will consider their request as per the guidelines and give our permission. "This is subject to the employees' wishes. Those employees who reject the permission will not be forced to do it,” he explained.
The Minister also said in his opinion, it is difficult to implement increasing working hours because at least four hours are needed to travel to the workplace.
While one has to work for eight hours and given the strenuous traffic scenario in Bengaluru one ends up spending at least three to four hours on travelling everyday.
"As Minister also when I see this proposal of increasing the working hours, I feel that it is not scientific. Increasing working hours can happen for a week or 10 days but not throughout the year in view of Bengaluru traffic,” Lad explained.
He also said that there was nothing wrong with the claim by those representing industry that increasing working hours will benefit employees and industry.
However, those employees who agree to increase their working hours have to give in writing but we cannot implement it across the board, the Minister noted.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
