Tamil Nadu is building a union for tech professionals

Employee unions situated in the city of Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu are coaxing software professionals to join hands after rumours of IT sector considering major firings.

The state has around four lakh IT professionals, and has seen, in the recent past, job losses at the middle level. This has led to Forum for IT Employees (FITE) and the IT wing of the 20-year-old New Democratic Labour Front (NDLF) form trade unions within glass-walled technology campuses.

Unions have been emboldened by the experience they had in the manufacturing sector, where powerful unions negotiated tough wage deals.

"Even now, mobilising support in a big way in IT is difficult," said Kumar S, a member of NDLF-IT.

Both FITE and NDLF-IT have conducted black-gag protests, sent petitions to the state labour department, having sought the inclusion of IT firms within the purview of the Industrial Disputes Act that allows "workmen, to seek the help of the government in settling disputes with the employer.

(Image source California Political Review)