Women’s Commission holds public hearing on IT sector issues

A psychological counsellor will be appointed at UL Cyber Park in Kozhikode to address the emotional needs of female employees. This was one of the immediate decisions taken by the management during a public hearing organised by the Kerala Women’s Commission at the Cyber Park on Monday (June 23) to examine the challenges faced by women in the IT sector.

The hearing, inaugurated by Commission Chairperson P. Sathidevi, was attended by women employees from both UL Cyber Park and the Government Cyber Park. The session was presided over by T.K. Kishore Kumar, chief operating officer of UL Cyber Park, who took the initiative to offer on-the-spot solutions to some of the concerns raised.

During the interactive session, many women spoke about difficulties related to work, personal life, and managing both. The panel—comprising Shaji Sugunan, Director of the Commission; Law Officer K. Chandrashobha; Administrative Officer R. Jayasree; and Project Officer N. Divya—listened attentively and offered legal solutions in response to each issue.

The Commission maintained that forming an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) is mandatory for every organisation, and failure to do so is a punishable offence. It also highlighted the importance of holding ICC meetings on a quarterly basis.

Some of the key issues raised by women included the discriminatory treatment of pregnant employees, denial of maternity benefits, termination from service, and withholding of salary hikes. The panel recommended lighter workloads for women during menstruation, career gap training for those returning to work, and cab services for those on night shifts.

Ms. Jayasree said that gender-based salary discrimination is a punishable offence and urged women to report such incidents to their ICCs. At the same time, she advised employees to avoid filing false complaints against superiors who may have only reprimanded them for poor work culture.

The Commission noted that both UL Cyber Park and Government Cyber Park have a common crèche facility, allowing employees to leave their children in a safe environment during work hours. Plans are also under way to introduce an after-school care facility.

In her inaugural address, Ms. Sathidevi called upon women to make themselves capable of overcoming crises, pointing out that a lack of confidence often persists among women despite their educational qualifications and legal protections.

The Women’s Commission has been holding similar public hearings for the past two years to study the issues faced by women across various sectors. Ms. Sathidevi added that the panel plans to make a few recommendations to the government aimed at improving conditions in each sector.