ICICI Bank’s Mass Employee Termination Dispute: Ministry of Labour Reschedules Meeting, Stirs Criticism [Read Order]
The bank heads refused the allegations of unfair termination and said that it was voluntary abandonment of the job and not the termination.
The Ministry of Labour has postponed the high level meeting with regards to one of largest and most contested employee termination disputes, involving the alleged illegal dismissal of more than 780 ICICI Bank employees which continues to remain unresolved.
The Ministry of Labour, which had earlier issued an official memorandum and scheduled a high-level meeting to address the matter, has rescheduled the meeting on the fixed date, delaying action in a case that has left hundreds of families in distress.
According to sources, the Ministry had convened a meeting to examine allegations that ICICI Bank carried out mass terminations in violation of labour laws, without following due process, and without offering statutory protections or compensation.
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However, on the scheduled day, senior officials, including the Secretary did not attend, leading to an abrupt postponement and renewed criticism of the Ministry’s handling of the dispute.
An Ex- ICICI bank employee tweeted that “A matter affecting 785+ families, documented with evidence, pending for 2 years, and still the Ministry behaves like it’s a low-priority clerical issue.”
According to him, lots of employees and their families are still struggling regarding this issue. “This isn’t negligence anymore-it’s institutional complacency. And every day of delay is another day of suffering for hundreds of unemployed, humiliated, and abandoned workers”, the ‘X’ holder added.
https://x.com/dip_moulick/status/1995176515592671451?s=20
Earlier, the ICICI bank has refuted the allegations. The bank said that it was voluntary abandonment of the job and not the termination. The ministry is engaging with the employees and the bank to find the actual scenario.
Employees claim they were terminated abruptly, many without notice, show-cause proceedings, or retrenchment compensation. Also, several complaints were filed before labour commissioners across states have documented alleged coercion, forced resignations, and the use of performance-linked justifications without proper inquiry. Despite these claims, the matter has seen little progress at the central level.
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