Tech Company shames ex workers to pay up
By Shalini Singh

Sasken, started in 1989, employs 3500 people in Bangalore, Pune, Chennai as well as Finland and Mexico. Sasken offers a combination of research and development consultancy, wireless software products and software services, and works with Network OEMs, Semiconductor Vendors and Operators across the world.  Sasken has now published names of ex employees who owe them money.

Global Fortune 500 and Tier 1 companies in the telecom, wireless and semiconductor segments are part of Sasken's customer profile. Sasken is SEI CMM Level 5 certified and its’ solutions are backed by ISO 9001:2000, ISO 27001 and TL 9000 certifications. Sasken’s commitment to environment is highlighted by its ISO 14001 certification.

It suffered a setback recently when America’s biggest telephone equipment manufacturer Nortel, which has a 9.3 stake in Sasken, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Jan, 2009.  A substantial number of Sasken employees supported Nortel.

Sasken was in the news for different reasons in 2008. In March, 2008, activists from Karnataka Rakshana Vedike stormed Sasken Offices in Bangalore to protest an ‘anti-Kannada’ poem circulated by a Sasken senior executive.   The activists caused severe damage to office equipment.  Sasken apologized and promised ‘disciplinary action’ against the errant employee.  Many Sasken employees in Karnataka also protested this anti Kannada poem by taking half a day off.

Last week, Sasken was in the news when Bangalore Mirror reported about their arm twisting ex employees who had left allegedly without clearing the moneys owned to Sasken: “On Friday afternoon, Sasken made public, on the home page of the company website, a list of 100 ex-employees who were yet to clear their dues. The list contained their names, ID numbers and amounts due. The amounts ranged from Rs 1,399 to Rs 431,724, which totalled up to Rs 1.2 crore. The move, however, drew flak from professionals.”

Sasken defended its move to publicly humiliate some of its ex-employees without bothering to explain why they do not have proper procedures to avoid such a situation.  There is also a real possibility of some ex-employees suing Sasken.

Sasken has now removed the names of all such ex employees from their website.  Perhaps desperate economic times call for even more desperate measures to retain revenue.