Country’s first union of software experts likely to form in Tamil Nadu

The IT employees in Tamil Nadu are reportedly in the process of forming the country's first union in the technology sector. More than 100 software experts have signed as members. The union will strive to protect members' rights and for women's safety. The move comes after a group of employees were dismissed from their jobs by the IT major Cognizant.

Many employees are having second thoughts regarding joining the union as they are concerned about their jobs and their employers might regard them as trouble-makers. Around 4.5 lakh employees work in the IT sector in Tamil Nadu.

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the top states that export IT services. Infosys has more than 17,000 employees in Chennai, Wipro has 25,000, and TCS has 60,000 employees in 13 centres in the state, reported a national news portal.

Karnataka has reportedly not given permission for the formation of trade unions in software companies. The lay-offs are on the rise and the $150 billion outsourcing industry is adversely affected by various factors, including revision of norms for issuing H1B visas for the techies.

According to industry analysts, 2-3% employees out of the total workforce may lose their jobs this year.