Cognizant fires unionist for ‘performance reasons’

IT worker rights unions have claimed Cognizant terminated unionist Elavarasan Raja for his open involvement in union-related activities against Cognizant, a stand denied by the software exporter in a statement that said the forced exit was based purely on performance grounds.

Raja, a software professional of about eight years of experience, told ET that he received the termination letter on Tuesday evening.

Currently he holds the position of General Secretary FITE, a registered union in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. In the western state, FITE is a part of a tripartite committee including Government and IT companies to discuss worker issues and settle disputes.

Cognizant, in a statement, said: “Cognizant recently terminated this employee of approximately five months tenure with the company for performance reasons and based on client feedback. Our decision is consistent with the terms of our contracts with all of our employees.”

Recently, Cognizant had announced that it would cut thousands of jobs and exit a business line as part of trimming cost structures and its growth agenda.