The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has raised serious concerns over Infosys’ termination of fresh graduates employed under the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), alleging multiple violations of The Apprentices Act, 1961.
The IT labour union has formally urged Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Jayant Chaudhary, to intervene in the matter.
According to BusinessLine, NITES claims that Infosys inducted these fresh graduates as apprentices in October 2024 through legally binding contracts. However, the company allegedly dismissed them in violation of The Apprentices Act, 1961, and The Apprenticeship Rules, 1992, without following due process.
Harpreet Singh Saluja, president of NITES, stated that the law mandates an employer to seek approval from the Apprenticeship Adviser before terminating an apprentice and to provide an opportunity for the affected individual to present their case. Moreover, under The Apprenticeship Rules, 1992, companies are required to pay a three-month stipend to apprentices dismissed prematurely — a payment Infosys has reportedly failed to process.
Additionally, the first six months of an apprenticeship serve as a probationary period, during which either party can initiate termination, but only through a formal application and due notice. Saluja has urged the government to conduct an inquiry into Infosys’ actions, reinstate affected apprentices with pending stipend payments, and impose legal penalties for non-compliance.
“Such mass terminations going unchecked will set a dangerous precedent for corporations to exploit young professionals without accountability,” Saluja warned, as quoted by BusinessLine. He further alleged that the Karnataka Labour Department has shown bias in favour of Infosys, raising concerns about regulatory oversight.
NITES has called for stricter enforcement of apprenticeship laws to prevent corporations from bypassing legal obligations and undermining India's structured skill development initiatives.
