Infosys layoffs: 195 more trainees fired at Infosys Mysuru campus

In a fresh round of layoffs, Narayana Murthy's Infosys has let go of 195 more trainees from its Mysuru campus, according to a report by Moneycontrol. The layoffs are reportedly due to poor performance and failure of trainees in internal assessments.

The email, accessed by Moneycontrol, reportedly said, "Further to the announcement of the results of your final assessment attempt, please be informed that you have not met the qualifying criteria in the ‘Generic foundation training program’ despite the additional preparation time, doubt-clearing sessions, several mock assessments and three attempts. As a result, you will not be able to continue your journey for the apprenticeship program."

This marks the fourth round of trainee layoffs by the IT services company, which had earlier let go of about 300 trainees in February, followed by about 35 in March, and 240 on April 18, all under similar circumstances. The most recent termination brings the number of affected employees up to almost 800 since February. 

The report mentions that Infosys is offering free upskilling performances to those affected by the layoffs via NIIT and UpGrad. Around 250 people have enrolled in these upskilling programmes, whereas about 150 have registered for outplacement services.

Infosys will also reportedly sponsor training for those who opt in for Infosys Business Process Management (BPM), a 12-week training programme offering alternative career paths to those affected. Moreover, those unwilling to take part in the programme will be provided with transport from Mysuru to Bangalore and a standard travel allowance to their hometown.

Karnataka Labour Department had earlier given Infosys a clean chit while acting on a complaint against layoffs in February. 

"They were all only trainees, and some underwent training for three months. We cannot call it a layoff, so these labour laws are not applicable in such cases. A layoff applies only when there is regular employment. There is no employer-employee relationship at all. They were all apprenticeship trainees, not employees," Moneycontrol quoted a source.