NITES alleges onboarding delays for 250 freshers at Wipro; writes to labour minister

New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI)IT employees' body NITES on Monday said it has filed a complaint with the labour minister against Wipro Limited over the alleged delay in onboarding of 250 freshers across multiple states.

An email sent by PTI to Wipro seeking comments on NITES' allegations did not elicit a response.

In a statement, NITES said it has submitted an official complaint to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya against Wipro Limited over a serious recruitment issue, impacting more than 250 selected fresh graduates across multiple states.

The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) in its written complaint claimed that affected candidates are fresh graduates selected through campus and off-campus recruitment processes conducted by Wipro, including its 'Turbo' and 'NextGen Talent hiring' programmes.

NITES has urged the government to intervene in the matter and seek an explanation from Wipro about the alleged prolonged onboarding delays and lack of transparent communication. The association has also requested the Centre to direct the company to issue clear written decisions to all affected candidates, either by confirming onboarding timelines within a defined period or by providing a reasoned closure.

"NITES is prepared to submit all supporting documents, including Letters of Intent, onboarding communications, background verification records and correspondence exchanged with the company for the ministry's consideration... NITES sincerely hopes the ministry will intervene to protect the interests of the affected candidates and prevent further hardship," it said in the letter.

NITES said that Letters of Intent were issued to these candidates around May 2025, confirming their selection and detailing the role, compensation structure and onboarding process.

In several cases, NITES said, the company also issued formal onboarding communications confirming a joining date, work location and completion of documentation formalities.

Despite these assurances, however, the candidates were not onboarded on the promised dates, although the candidates "complied with every requirement communicated by the company".

Background verification was completed, and the company's own systems reflected the status as completed with no action required, according to NITES.

"After completion of these formalities, the candidates reasonably expected to commence employment and earn their livelihood. Instead, they were subjected to prolonged silence, repeated generic responses and shifting explanations without accountability," NITES said.

Repeated follow-ups and requests for clarity on onboarding status by the candicates also did not yield proper response from the company, as per NITES' letter.

Many candidates were blocked from accepting alternative employment opportunities due to campus placement rules that restrict students after acceptance of an offer or letter of intent, while several candidates declined confirmed offers from other employers.

Numerous candidates have remained unemployed for six to eight months after selection, with no income, mounting debt and serious mental stress, NITES asserted.

"What is particularly alarming is that while these candidates remain in an indefinite waiting period, Wipro Limited has continued onboarding other candidates," said NITES, which describes itself as "a registered association working for the welfare and protection of employees and future employees in the IT and ITES sector across India".

NITES, in its submission, alleged that keeping selected candidates waiting indefinitely after issuing Letters of Intent, completing background verification and confirming joining details amounts to "unfair recruitment practice, deficiency of service and violation of principles of fairness and natural justice".

Left unaddressed, such practices risk becoming normalised across the industry, causing long-term harm to India[s youth workforce, NITES emphasised. PTI MBI HVA