Infosys Fires 195 Additional Trainees at its Campus in Mysuru

According to business emails dated April 29, Infosys has fired an additional 195 trainees out of a total of 680 due to internal assessment failures. Since February, the number of impacted trainees has increased to almost 800.

This is the fourth round of exits at the Bengaluru-based software behemoth. About 150 of the affected individuals have signed up for outplacement services, while about 250 have enrolled in upskilling programmes offered by NIIT and UpGrad.

Infosys has partnered with NIIT for IT training and UpGrad for BPM training. More than 300 trainees were laid off under similar conditions in February, followed by 30 to 35 in March, while the second-largest IT services company in India laid off roughly 240 on April 18. Through NIIT and UpGrad, Infosys is providing free upskilling classes to those who are impacted.

Revenue Growth Just 0 to 3% this Fiscal

The layoffs occur while Infosys manages a low level of demand. For the upcoming fiscal year, the company has projected revenue growth of only 0% to 3%, highlighting the ongoing unpredictability in its primary markets.

 Despite the extra preparation time, doubt-clearing sessions, many mock assessments, and three attempts, trainees have not met the qualifying criteria in the "Generic foundation training programme", according to the findings of trainees' final assessment attempt.

 The email that was sent on April 29 said, "As a result, you will not be able to continue your journey for the apprenticeship programme," which was similar to the communication that was received earlier in the month.

The impacted trainees, who were onboarded after a delay of more than 2.5 years, are being offered other career paths by the software company, including 12 weeks of training for possible roles in Infosys Business Process Management (BPM). Furthermore, Infosys announced that it will pay for the training of anybody who chooses to enrol in the BPM course.

Perks Offered to Exiting Trainees

For the impacted trainees, the company is also providing a letter of release and a one-month ex gratia payment. The company will provide transportation from Mysuru to Bangalore and a normal travel stipend to their hometown for those who choose not to pursue a career in BPM.

Trainees can stay at the Employee Care Centre in Mysore till the day of their departure if necessary.

Clearance from Karnataka Labour Department

Based on the documentation gathered, the Karnataka Labour Department cleared Infosys on February 27 of any labour law infractions pertaining to trainees' departure. They were all merely trainees, according to a media report that cited a source, and some of them had three months of training.

Since this cannot be considered a layoff, these labour laws do not apply. Only when there is regular employment does a layoff apply. An employer-employee relationship does not exist. They weren't workers; they were all apprentice trainees.

Following rumours of trainee layoffs, representatives from Karnataka's Labour Department previously visited Infosys' campuses in Bengaluru and Mysuru to evaluate the situation.

Prior to this, the Union Labour Ministry sent a letter instructing the Karnataka Labour Commissioner and Labour Secretary to look into the situation and take immediate measures to settle the conflict.