Troubled over the retrenchment of employees in the information technology (IT) sector in Hyderabad, several techies held a 'walk for justice' near Hi-Tec city on Friday.

Under the banner of the 'Forum for IT Professionals (ForIT), employees gathered at the Raheja Mindspace junction in the city, and demanded justice for those who had lost their jobs in recent times. 

Slogans like “we want justice,” and “down with corporate greed” were raised, along with others like “give back my job,” and “give back my life.”

“It is illegal to retrench employees under the guise of underperformance. Employees are protected under the law of the land and no one can be fired without due process of law," Kiran Chandra, founder member of ForIT, was quoted as saying.

Members of the forum also highlighted that several petitions had been filed with the Hyderabad labour commissioner, but authorities had turned a blind eye, which forced them to file a case in the High Court.

The massive layoffs are being attributed to at least two major factors- slump in the growth of the IT sector and its focus on automation that is linked to a need for a smaller workforce. 

Last month, the Hyderabad High Court served a notice to Tech Mahindra after four of its retrenched employees had moved court over illegal terminations by the company.

The notices had also been sent to Government of Telangana, Commissioner of Labour and Deputy Commissioner of Labour, Hyderabad.

The petitioners alleged that their services were terminated illegally and that they were given no notice before they were asked to leave the company.