'Employed' yet jobless youth protest

More than 100 freshers in the city who were given offer letters by IT firm HCL Technologies about a year ago launched a wave of protests against the lack of clarity and dilly-dallying on their joining dates by the company management.

Protesting outside HCL’s office at Ulsoor, the students say they feel hopeless, waiting endlessly as the company has been coming out with different excuses each time they approach it.

Several freshers received letters of intent in early 2012, when they were in the last semester of their engineering for roles of software engineers, with an annual pay package of Rs3.25 lakh.

“In September, we had to take a test, front-runner programme (FSP) and score at least 60% to enhance our eligibility of getting the joining date. I cleared this test,” said a fresher who does not wish to be named.

He added that after clearing this test, in November, he was able to have a conversation with HCL’s HR manager, who said that those who have cleared the test would be getting their joining dates ‘very soon’.

“We kept sending mails. In January, they said their hiring would happen based on business requirements,” said another fresher.

Last week, this issue took another twist when the HCL management sent emails to some freshers, stating that they will not be on board till August of this year.

When contacted, a HCL spokesperson said the company is committed to having each individual with ‘letters of intent’ to join them. “We will start communicating dates of joining in August or even earlier.”

Moreover, freshers were told that instead of HCL Technologies, they can join HCL Infrastructure, where vacancies are currently available, albeit at a much lower salary of Rs2.75 lakh per annum, against the Rs3.25 lakh that was initially offered.

The HCL spokesperson said individuals are invited to consider positions in HCL Infrastructure line of business or await a date of joining into another line of business.

The freshers say this constant change of plans by the HCL management is what seems most frustrating.

“Till 2012-end, we had hopes that those who had cleared that FSP test would get calls. But last week, after mails were sent saying on boarding will happen only in August, we are left in limbo as many of us have eduction loans to repay,” said another fresher.

@DNA