B'luru firm agrees to give cab service to females after stir
Bengaluru firm IDC Technologies that had said "we are not responsible for women's safety after they log out" has agreed to provide cab service to female employees working on the night shift. This comes after a female employee from the firm met IT Minister Priyank Kharge to bring up the matter, and the minister assured action after formal complaint.
On June 14, Manisha Kumari - an employee of IDC Technologies - told India Today that her office had denied cab facility to female employees working in the night shift.Manisha works as a technical recruiter in the IDC Technologies. She was aghast at the apathy of her company, which put safety of women employees at huge risk when they returned home late night from work. This was going for close to two months.India Today raised the matter with the IDC Technologies management as well as with the IT Minister of Karnataka Priyank Kharge, who promised to look into the matter. Priyank Kharge said the government would take action if Manisha filed a complaint as the act of IDC Technologies was in clear violation of the rules.IDC Technologies is a multinational company with operating centres in the US, Canada, Mexico and India.UNDER PRESSURE, IT FIRM PROMISES TO ABIDE BY RULESAs India Today raised the issue and exposed the IT firm for its blatant violation of the rules, the IDC Technologies felt pressure and decided to resume the cab facilities for female employees working in the night shift.The IT firm told India Today that they did not have cab facilities for their night shift female employees for about two months due to an issue with the cab vendor.Now, the matter has been resolved and all female employees working in the night shift will get a drop in till their home as per the existing rules.Praveen Kumar from the HR department of IDC Technologies told India Today that the company was now in compliance with Labour and IT laws of the state. "Necessary action has been taken to make sure (that) all female employees working in the night shift are provided with pick-up and drop facilities. Employee satisfaction is our main motto and female employee safety is our prime concern," Praveen Kumar added. The company has now deployed six cabs that pick and drop their female employees working in the night shift.HOW MANISHA FOUGHT FOR HER RIGHTThough the IDC Technologies maintains that the cab problem was there for only two months, Manisha told India Today that the issue has been dragging for nearly two years.She told India Today that the night shift earlier started at 6.30 pm and continued till 3.30 am when the employees would log out and leave for home. But, in the absence of cab facility, it became quite unsafe for female employees, Manisha said.After some of the employees complained of being harassed in those hours while they went back home, the timings were changed to 7.30 pm to 4.30 am. But, this did not solve the safety problem, said Manisha, who recounted three incidents of harassment on the way back home since she joined the IT firm in February."Once I was harassed by a cab driver near the Silk Board Junction who misbehaved with me when I was leaving work and another time by two bike borne men. The third incident involved a passerby," Manisha said. Manish further said that when she brought these incidents to the notice of the tech company, the vice president said that the company was responsible for their safety only while they were working and not after they logged out.Manisha had met the IT Minister Priyank Kharge to narrate the state of affairs on June 14, when she was assured of help. The Minister also promised that "if companies flout rules, we will take action." According to amended the Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961 and the Factories Act 1948, the companies are responsible for providing pick up and drop in facilities to female employees working during night time.ALSO READ | 