Thiruvananthapuram, May 4
The Group of Technology Companies (GTECH), the common platform for IT companies in Kerala, has decided to annul the extant ‘gentleman's agreement' that prevented member companies from ‘poaching' each others' resources.
Announcing this, Mr V.K. Mathews, President-elect, GTECH, told newspersons here that the decision was taken with a view to affording needed ‘mobility' for technology professionals to further their career prospects within the State.
LARGER OBJECTIVE
This is a baby step towards accomplishing the larger objective of retaining precious resources, which would otherwise exit the borders seeking better prospects in the IT backyards of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.
As a matter of policy, GTECH members would, however, desist from ‘actively soliciting' resources from each other, Mr Mathews said.
Explaining, he said there has been a sea-change in the employment scenario and industry profile over the last 10 years.
Initially, a professional employed in a GTECH (then Group of Technopark Companies) company could seek posting with another only if he produced a no-objection certificate from the first employer.
“But this was a time when we could count the number of total employees on rolls in Technopark into the thousands. But today we count them in their tens of thousands, especially after the scope of GTECH has been expanded to include technology companies from all over the State,” Mr Mathews said.
EMPLOYEE FORUM
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Anoop P. Ambika, Secretary, GTECH, said a separate employee forum is being envisaged to take up labour-related issues among member-companies.
Another significant initiative would be a mechanism to deal with gender issues, which would provide a platform for women employees to air their grievances and seek redressal.
Outlining a roadmap for the revamped GTECH, Mr Mathews said that the fraternity would work for the accelerated growth of IT industry in Kerala. Mr K. Nandakumar, Vice-President, GTECH, was also present on the occasion.
The industry is eminently suitable for a State like Kerala where the availability of land is at a premium and the density of population the highest. The IT industry has one of the lowest land-to-employee ratio. It is neither polluting nor power intensive and offers huge employment opportunities. GTECH today has a membership of nearly 100 companies employing around 80 per cent of the software professionals working in the State. All large IT companies operating in Kerala are members, or are in the process of becoming one.
Nearly 70 per cent of the members are from the SME sector employing less than 50 persons each.
AGENDA SET
GTECH has decided to pursue four main objectives during the course of 2010, which include: (i) ensuring physical security of the IT parks in view of the recent threats (ii) containing costs (iii) expanding reach and consequence by collaborating with external institutions and (iv) enhancing collaboration amongst members to improve competencies of SMEs (small and medium enterprises).
It would also work very closely with the State Government to promote Kerala as an IT destination through tactical actions and strategic campaigns, consult on policy matters, support/participate in the State's e-governance projects and closely work with the labour department for timely reforms in labour laws.
The key message that GTECH would attempt to propagate is that ‘supporting IT is supporting people,' which would help mainstream the industry and its employees in the socio-economic fabric of the society.
The Group of Technology Companies (GTECH), the common platform for IT companies in Kerala, has decided to annul the extant ‘gentleman's agreement' that prevented member companies from ‘poaching' each others' resources.
Announcing this, Mr V.K. Mathews, President-elect, GTECH, told newspersons here that the decision was taken with a view to affording needed ‘mobility' for technology professionals to further their career prospects within the State.
LARGER OBJECTIVE
This is a baby step towards accomplishing the larger objective of retaining precious resources, which would otherwise exit the borders seeking better prospects in the IT backyards of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.
As a matter of policy, GTECH members would, however, desist from ‘actively soliciting' resources from each other, Mr Mathews said.
Explaining, he said there has been a sea-change in the employment scenario and industry profile over the last 10 years.
Initially, a professional employed in a GTECH (then Group of Technopark Companies) company could seek posting with another only if he produced a no-objection certificate from the first employer.
“But this was a time when we could count the number of total employees on rolls in Technopark into the thousands. But today we count them in their tens of thousands, especially after the scope of GTECH has been expanded to include technology companies from all over the State,” Mr Mathews said.
EMPLOYEE FORUM
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Anoop P. Ambika, Secretary, GTECH, said a separate employee forum is being envisaged to take up labour-related issues among member-companies.
Another significant initiative would be a mechanism to deal with gender issues, which would provide a platform for women employees to air their grievances and seek redressal.
Outlining a roadmap for the revamped GTECH, Mr Mathews said that the fraternity would work for the accelerated growth of IT industry in Kerala. Mr K. Nandakumar, Vice-President, GTECH, was also present on the occasion.
The industry is eminently suitable for a State like Kerala where the availability of land is at a premium and the density of population the highest. The IT industry has one of the lowest land-to-employee ratio. It is neither polluting nor power intensive and offers huge employment opportunities. GTECH today has a membership of nearly 100 companies employing around 80 per cent of the software professionals working in the State. All large IT companies operating in Kerala are members, or are in the process of becoming one.
Nearly 70 per cent of the members are from the SME sector employing less than 50 persons each.
AGENDA SET
GTECH has decided to pursue four main objectives during the course of 2010, which include: (i) ensuring physical security of the IT parks in view of the recent threats (ii) containing costs (iii) expanding reach and consequence by collaborating with external institutions and (iv) enhancing collaboration amongst members to improve competencies of SMEs (small and medium enterprises).
It would also work very closely with the State Government to promote Kerala as an IT destination through tactical actions and strategic campaigns, consult on policy matters, support/participate in the State's e-governance projects and closely work with the labour department for timely reforms in labour laws.
The key message that GTECH would attempt to propagate is that ‘supporting IT is supporting people,' which would help mainstream the industry and its employees in the socio-economic fabric of the society.
No comments:
Post a Comment