Ex-Wipro employee moves labour dept over unpaid extended bench policy | India Business News

Bengaluru: Some Wipro employees have approached the labour commissioner, contesting the company’s Extended Bench Leave Programme (EBLP).According to a former affected staffer, employees whose projects end without an immediate new assignment are placed on a 45-day paid bench, during which they continue to receive their salary. If no project is found during this period, employees can either resign or opt for the EBLP, which initially runs for 90 days and can be extended by another 30 days.The EBLP is effectively an unpaid bench period, the former employee said, during which salary and PF contributions stop. If a project is identified during the EBLP, the employee can be allocated to it and payroll resumes.The former employee said the arrangement means employees can move between paid project assignments and unpaid bench periods depending on the availability of billable work. He questioned whether such a structure resembles a contracting arrangement, where an employee’s salary is effectively linked to being deployed on a billable project.“If no suitable project is identified during the EBLP period, the company initiates the resignation process, requiring the employee to submit a resignation,” the former employee said.TOI reviewed Wipro’s EBLP policy document, which stated: “EBLP shall be revoked only if the employee secures an immediate, confirmed billable or support opportunity, which is duly tagged in the system, for a minimum assignment duration of 30 days which is checked manually. Employees who fail to get allocated prior to the end of the EBLP will be separated from Wipro in accordance with the terms of their employment contract.”