A former woman employee of India’s third largest IT services exporter Wipro has filed a lawsuit against the company alleging sexual discrimination and has claimed damages amounting to £1 million (Rs 10 crore approximately).
The former employee, who was with the sales & marketing division in the company, in a case filed with the Central London Employment Tribunal has claimed that she was subjected to a “deeply predatory, misogynistic culture” at Wipro. She also alleged that she was manipulated into an affair with a senior colleague, vice-president Manoj Punja, and was subjected to certain inappropriate remarks. In her hearing with the tribunal she alleged that she was being treated like “dirty goods” after ending the affair and filing complaints about how she was treated, according to reports in the British media.
The former employee also alleged that she was paid comparatively lesser than her male colleagues and was also excluded from many of Wipro’s events. She said she was earning up to £75,000-a-year rather than the typical £150,000 paid to male equivalents, according to reports. “The culture within Wipro requires women to be subservient,” she said in the complaint.
The former employee is currently unemployed while Manoj Punja who spent over 23 years in various capacities including heading the BPO business of Wipro had left the IT major last year. Punja, a US citizen, is currently executive vice president at Microland. This case is expected to generate heat for Wipro given its recent high profile client acquisition of Chelsea Football Club in UK, its digital technology partner.
A Wipro statement said, “Wipro takes serious objection to the scurrilous allegations made against the company and will initiate legal action to defend itself against insidious and defamatory allegations.”
On the alleged relationship between the former employee and Manoj Punja, the IT major said, “Wipro’s policy on conflict of interest requires employees to disclose to the organisation any personal relationship that could create conflict. Failure to disclose such relationships would result in disciplinary action including and up to separation.
Following an impartial inquiry, both Manoj Punja and the former employee were relieved from the services of the company after it was established beyond reasonable doubt that they had violated the stated policy.”