Hay Sudheer! Thanks a million for bringing such a vital topic on to the list to be discussed and debated. In fact, I was more than a 100 times thrilled with the news IT sectors opening up for the PWD category. But let me tell you the hard realities of being employed in an IT company as to what it really feels to be getting the kind of treatment meted out to myself, and a hearing impaired friend of mine called Ashvini Kishen. Things look and sound greener at the top of it. But the hard realities hear are completely different. I was happy to know that Ive cleared my interview at IBM. I was more than shocked to receive a call from an agency called Manpower asking me to collect the offer letter. But wait!!! This was not all!!! I was told that my contract was for just 6 months. I had a word with my computer teacher Ms. Shanti Raghavan on the terms and conditions of the contract to me where I was told that this is a tool employed by most of the IT Companys to keep the count low. I did accept the offer for the higher remuneration that was offered. I therefore joined IBM on the 30th September 2005, and am still working on a contract basis. Ive proved myself long time a go, and as many times as I needed to. Some thing more disheartening for Ashvini and myself is that wile our non disabled juniors have bin promoted and have bin regularized, our positions have bin the same, of course we are given an appraisal each year. I did negotiate on the contract part with my people manager, but it seems like all my efforts have gone worthless. Ive therefore decided not to break my head against the wall, and to go for some thing else which is more productive in terms of rewards, and am willing to put the kind of effort and hard work the job demands out of me. And friends trust me, ones you tend to enter this kind of a cobweb, there is no easy escape out of it. My sincere advice to my friends opting for a career out of the IT sector is to be very careful in negotiating the terms of the offer before hand. Thanks and regards Parimala
"Sudhir R (NeSTIT)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Dear friends, We have all been enthused in recent months by the continuous stream of 'heart-warming' news reports from the booming IT and ITES sectors of India opening their doors to the visually challenged. But, closer observation of the facts on the ground reveal certain trends that are disquieting and disillusioning and though not politically correct, I thought I must bring these to the kind attention of Access Indians. a) It seems many of those who have been recruited have been taken in as contract employees and remain so for years together. The professed excuse bandied by the companies is that they want to keep the actual employee count low. This excuse would have held water had not the companies gladly confirmed the non-disabled staff members who were recruited along with or much later than their disabled counterparts. I can understand a company extending an employee's probation if he does not measure up, but, extending contracts umpteen number of times seem to take on sinister tones. b) Simultaneously, I think these unfortunate disabled candidates also suffer discriminatory treatment vis-a-vis their non-disabled peers in terms of compensation and benefit, seniority etc due to the long years they spend as contract employees. c) It may be fashionable to explain this phenomenon as a modern trend in employment thanks to globalisation, but, when it applies only to one segment of (disadvantaged) employees, I prefer to call it high-handed discrimination. India does not have a social security mechanism in place and the best bet for any disabled resource is still the security of a regular job. Unfortunately, the current practice seems to be denying this precise safety net to the disabled. I am not sure how many of Access Indians working in the IT / ITES sector are currently suffering this discrimination silently, hoping to be confirmed in the years to come. But, anecdotal evidence has shown me that many of the so-called 'equal opportunity employers' who hog media limelight with their 'diversity enrichment' programmes are major culprits of this shameful practice. May be, a few of the silent sufferers should speak out for the sake of other starry-eyed youngsters who have been building castles in thin air after reading all these media reports. Simultaneously, can legal eagles like Kanchan and Rajesh educate us about the current Indian laws applicable to the rights of contract employees ? I am sure it is mandatory for a company to confirm an employee after a particular period of being a contract employee. How does one go about enforcing such laws and how risky would such a procedure be ? And, Subramony, can you smell a journalistic scoop in this issue ? I have been an avid votary of the IT and ITES sector as possible sources of fullfilling and well-paying careers for the visually challenged and have even been discouraging the local youngsters from looking at the unglamourous Government sector, but, I should admit this revelation has forced me to revise my recommendations. In fact, I have started wondering whether this phenomenon is restricted merely to the IT / ITES sector or a characteristic of the entire private sector. I know of at least one case in Kerala where a manufacturing company has been employing a visually challenged youngster for almost 9 years as a contract employee at half the salary he would have been entitled for in regular service. Please share your individual views, suggestions and experiences in this matter. Skeletons have remained in the corporate cupboards for too long, methinks... Regards R Sudhir M: 098 472 76 126 To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in --------------------------------- Get your own web address. Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business. To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
