Mr Gopi Vedachalam, a Tata project manager assigned to Target (a super store major) in the US between 2000-3 and who is currently working as a Tata project manager for 21st Century Insurance in Woodland Hills, California, has filed a nationwide class action lawsuit in the US District Court in San Francisco against Tata America International Corporation, its parent corporations Tata Consultancy Services, Ltd (TCS) and Tata Sons Ltd, (collectively referred to as "Tata" in the lawsuit) on Tuesday, alleging violation of employment laws.
"This is perhaps one of the first class action lawsuits against a company engaged in ‘reverse outsourcing,’ bringing non-US citizens to the US to work in corporations, for violation of labour laws," said Mr Steven Tindall, an attorney representing Mr Vedachalam. The suit also seeks compensation and damages for current and former employees who were not paid what they were promised and who were deprived of their tax refunds.
TCS, meanwhile, has responded by saying that they have not yet been served with any papers in the alleged suit and therefore have had no opportunity to examine the veracity of the allegation made. The company maintains that it is surprised at the allegation since it has been legally advised that it is fully compliant with all the applicable federal and state laws in all the jurisdictions where it operates.
"I work hard for Tata and the companies I have been assigned to. I should receive the full wages Tata agreed to pay me, as should all other Tata employees in America. I did not hand over my tax refund checks voluntarily. I tried to recover these wages through Tata’s internal procedures, but I was met with either silence or refusal," said Mr Vedachalam, who is asking the federal court to certify the case as a class action and issue an injunction against Tata, preventing it from requiring its employees to endorse their tax refund checks to the company.
"This is perhaps one of the first class action lawsuits against a company engaged in ‘reverse outsourcing,’ bringing non-US citizens to the US to work in corporations, for violation of labour laws," said Mr Steven Tindall, an attorney representing Mr Vedachalam. The suit also seeks compensation and damages for current and former employees who were not paid what they were promised and who were deprived of their tax refunds.
TCS, meanwhile, has responded by saying that they have not yet been served with any papers in the alleged suit and therefore have had no opportunity to examine the veracity of the allegation made. The company maintains that it is surprised at the allegation since it has been legally advised that it is fully compliant with all the applicable federal and state laws in all the jurisdictions where it operates.
"I work hard for Tata and the companies I have been assigned to. I should receive the full wages Tata agreed to pay me, as should all other Tata employees in America. I did not hand over my tax refund checks voluntarily. I tried to recover these wages through Tata’s internal procedures, but I was met with either silence or refusal," said Mr Vedachalam, who is asking the federal court to certify the case as a class action and issue an injunction against Tata, preventing it from requiring its employees to endorse their tax refund checks to the company.