IT giant Wipro lost the case against Indian ex-employee who accused the firm of sacking her on the grounds of gender discrimination. Shreya Ukil, formerly a senior techie with the company, made accusations of sex discrimination, unfair dismissal, and verbal abuse by her colleagues.
She took Wipro to court in 2014, filing a lawsuit with a British tribunal. In its judgement, the court cited there is evidence against “some in the senior leadership in Wipro” of being “sexist and unfair”. It also added there was no proof that she was sexually harassed. The court said her sacking was unfair but not “wrongful”. Ukil, 40, said, “This judgement raises serious questions on whether the company is ethical in dealing with women who raise allegations of inequality and sexist behaviour. The atmosphere was predatory, misogynistic, and sexist. I raised numerous red flags before the management and internal Ombudsman. When the issue wasn't addressed I resigned. But they rejected my resignation to fire me later when I was on sick leave.”
Ukil's lawyers Slater & Gordon released a statement saying, “Wipro leadership team, including its (then) chief executive T.K. Kurien, conspired to push Ukil out of her job and her role in Britain. Ukil was victimised by Wipro’s leadership for speaking up about sex discrimination, unequal pay and a culture of sexism.”
Ukil who had moved to London in 2010 after working in the company's Bengaluru office for seven years, moved court three months after she was fired as the Head of Sales. In her lawsuit, she alleged gender pay gap saying she was paid half of what her male counterparts in London were given. She also claimed she was subjected to sexist remarks by senior colleagues who called her “shrill”, “shallow”, “un-European”, and “bitch” among other names. In an interview, Ukil talked about how she was harassed and even blocked from changing positions in Europe. “Woman who are confident, capable and express their viewpoints are often called emotional, menopausal by some male peers.”
The IT boss has however, released a statement saying the tribunal rejected claims of adverse cultural attitude towards women in the organisation. “Wipro Limited is pleased the UK Employment Tribunal has upheld the dismissal of the complainant from the services of the organisation as appropriate and rejected claims of adverse cultural attitude towards women in the organisation.” How much Wipro owes Ukil for the financial and mental trouble she went through, will be decided by the tribunal next month.
