TCS layoffs: Pune labour commissioner summons company over ‘unlawful’ termination claims — what we know

The Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's largest IT firm, has received a notice from the Labour Commissioner Office in Pune following months of job terminations as the company plans to lay off 2% of its workforce.

The Labour Commissioner's office sent the summons to the company after the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) filed multiple complaints about the ongoing TCS layoffs, the IT employee protection organisation said.

“The Labour Commissioner Office, Pune has issued summons to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in multiple matters filed by NITES concerning illegal termination of employment and unlawful layoffs,” NITES said in a post on X.

The hearing for the matter has been scheduled for November 18.

“Over the past several months, NITES has received a large number of complaints from TCS employees across various locations regarding abrupt terminations, forced resignations, denial of statutory dues, and coercive employment practices,” the organisation said.

In the June-September quarter, TCS reported a massive drop in its employee count as it plans to lay off thousands of workers amid an AI push. The Q3 report showed that there was a drop of 20,000 in the net number of employees at the company as compared to the same period last year.

NITES had at the time said that the IT major had downplayed the numbers.

Data showed that TCS's total workforce count witnessed a 19,755 fall to 593,314 as of the second quarter of the financial year 2025-26, compared to their 613,069 headcount level as of the end of the first quarter of the fiscal year.

NITES urges more TCS workers to come forward

NITES said it had helped laid off TCS workers to file legal complaints against TCS, which prompted the Pune labour commissioner to take action.

The organisation further urged employees facing similar situation to come forward if they have experienced wrongful termination, forced resignation, non-payment of dues, or any form of pressure or unfair treatment, assuring them of legal protections.

“Raising your grievance formally is an important step toward ensuring accountability and safeguarding your employment rights. NITES remains committed to supporting IT and ITES employees who require guidance or assistance in filing complaints or understanding available legal remedies,” it said.

TCS layoffs

Mint reported earlier this year that TCS plans to cut jobs of around 12,000 employees or up to 2% of its global workforce in the financial year 2025-26. The IT giant aims to focus on restructuring plans amid the push for artificial intelligence (AI).

Chief Human Resources Officer Sudeep Kunnumal however dismissed media reports, saying that the numbers had been inflated.

He, however, admitted to laying off 1% or 6,000 employees, including at the mid and senior level segment