The recent allegations against IT giant Wipro of sex discrimination, unequal pay, harassment and unfair dismissal filed by former employee Shreya Ukil come within a fortnight of a study released by the ET Intelligence Group. The study stated that an examination of the annual reports of 46 Nifty companies showed a total of 415 cases of sexual harassment filed in the past financial year, with 80% of these in information technology (IT) and banking firms. Incidentally, Wipro headed the list with 100 cases, followed by ICICI Bank with 94.“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
A Telegraph report states that Shreya has alleged that she was subjected to a “deeply predatory, misogynistic culture” at Wipro, was forced into having an affair with an older boss Manoj Punja, was paid far less than male staff (earning up to £75,000-a-year rather than the typical £150,000 paid to male equivalents), and was treated like “dirty goods” after ending the affair and lodging complaints about her treatment. She also stated that a number of other women had left Wipro because of similar experiences.