Laid-off US workers accuse TCS of racial, age discrimination: Report

At least 22 American workers have lodged a complaint of discrimination against Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), accusing the Indian IT major of replacing them with lower-skilled workers from India arriving on H1-B visa, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

These workers — including Caucasians, Asian-Americans, and Hispanic Americans aged in their 40s to 60s — have lodged their complaints with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. These employees, who reportedly hold at least an MBA or even more advanced degrees, were reportedly fired on short notice. They have alleged that they were targeted because of their race and age.

“Preferential treatment”

In the US, discrimination in the workplace can attract federal charges.

These American professionals, who live across several US states, have further accused TCS of giving “preferential treatment” to Indian workers and raised questions on how Indian IT firms such as TCS use the H1-B visa to their advantage, says the report.

The complaints have pointed out that these companies apply for H1-B visas — designed for skilled foreign workers — to bring in Indian employees, but they do not have to show that Americans with similar skills are not available. As a result, Americans are being replaced by “cheaper” foreign workers with lower qualifications, they have reportedly said.

TCS denies charge

TCS, whose clients include scores of big American firms, employs more than 6 lakh people, most of them in India. While about half of its revenue comes from North America, it does not employ a commensurate workforce in the US.

A TCS spokesperson told the WSJ rubbished the allegations of “unlawful discrimination”. Calling these “meritless and misleading”, the spokesperson told the WSJ that TCS has a “strong record of being an equal opportunity employer in the US, acting with integrity in its operations”.