Hyderabad: IT staff don't get cover they pay for

Hyderabad: Mr D. Ravi Kumar, a city-based IT professional, had the shock of his life recently when he underwent a nose surgery for which he was made to pay from his pocket though he was covered under an insurance scheme.

“I paid Rs 12,000 as insurance cover for my family. Since I wanted to extend the cover to my parents, I paid Rs 24,000 additionally. My health insurance is valid for one year. But I was told that I cannot use it as I was removed from the rolls by the IT company,” he said.

Mr Ravi said his services were terminated illegally by Tech Mahindra in June when he took leave for the nose surgery. 

“I delayed the surgery for more than a year due to tight project schedules. When I decided to undergo it, they showed me the door,” he said.

Mr Vignesh Lokesh, another techie, said that he incurred Rs 3 lakh when his wife had complications while delivering a baby. But he was not given the benefits of medical insurance by his employer.

These two techies and a few others with more than ten years work experience lost jobs due to retrenchments in the IT sector. 

Mr Kiran Chandra, founder of Forum for IT Professionals, which is supporting the retrenched city techies in their fight against software firms, slammed employers for trying to use their might against techies.

An expert from the insurance sector said that the health cover extended to employees stops once the employee is disassociated with the organisation.

The human resources department sends a related communication to the insurance company after which the insurance policy would cease to exist. Based on conditions accepted at the time of agreement, companies would return the premium to the employer, the expert said.

I.T. staff only basic pay with pink slips

The Forum for IT Professionals on Friday alleged that experienced techies who had worked for over 80 projects were being axed by software companies. How can these professionals be dubbed non-performers, the forum asked.

Retrenched techies assembled in TSIIC Park in Hitec City to pour out their woes due to job loss.

Mr Kiran Chandra and Praveen Chandrahas of the forum said software firms were not heeding to law of the land. 

IT companies were axing employees by offering three months of basic pay and not the entire salary. In the IT industry the basic pay is just 30 per cent of the total salary, the forum said. By offering Rs 30,000 to someone earning Rs 1 lakh, the company wants to throw out their employees,” it said.