Hyderabad: Telangana’s Minister of Information Technology and Industries D Sridhar Babu assured former employees of Brane Enterprises that he would summon the company’s management to discuss their grievances and mediate a fair settlement.
His assurance came during a public hearing organised by the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) at Exhibition Grounds on Sunday, where over 100 affected employees gathered to voice their complaints about unpaid salaries and arbitrary terminations.
The employees, representing a larger group of 3,000 professionals, alleged that Brane Enterprises lured them with promises of lucrative positions but failed to pay salaries within months of hiring. Many of these employees, recruited from premier institutes across India, claimed the company abruptly terminated them without notice. They accused Brane Enterprises of hiring en masse to showcase a robust IT engineering team to potential investors, only to dismiss staff once funding goals were achieved.
The hearing was attended by AIPC Chairman Praveen Chakravarty, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Mahesh Kumar Goud, and State-in-charge Deepadas Munshi. It was overseen by a jury comprising former Justice Chandrakumar, Vijay Mahajan, and Manish Sharma. Employees detailed how the company, allegedly linked to Ramalinga Raju of Satyam fame, claimed to have patented AI software and used this claim to secure investments while neglecting its obligations to its workforce.
Addressing the gathering, Praveen Chakravarty condemned the company’s actions, stating, “This is not a case of business downsizing due to unforeseen circumstances but of deliberate manipulation and unfair practices. Thousands of employees have been treated illegally and unfairly.” He added that such practices reflect a broader issue of unethical handling of professionals in the IT sector, where employees often lack platforms to voice their grievances.
The employees submitted a memorandum of demands, calling for the immediate release of unpaid salaries, settlement of Provident Fund contributions, issuance of payslips for pending salary months, severance packages, and a one-year medical insurance plan for affected employees and their families.
This public hearing marked a rare initiative by a mainstream political party to address the concerns of IT sector professionals. AIPC Chairman Praveen Chakravarty highlighted the organisation’s commitment to being a platform for working professionals to seek justice. Discussions with Brane Enterprises’ management are expected to follow in the coming days.
