Sleeping for Salary: TCS Employee’s Footpath Protest Goes Viral

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5 Key Takeaways

• TCS employee Saurabh More protested outside the Pune office, living on the footpath due to non-payment of his salary.
• His letter stated he had reported back to work but his ID was inactive and salary unpaid, despite assurances from HR.
• Forum For IT Employees (FITE) expressed solidarity and advised combining protest with formal legal complaints.
• TCS responded that the salary was withheld due to unauthorised absence, but has since provided accommodation and is working to resolve the issue.
• The incident sparked social media debate about TCS's ethics and broader concerns over layoffs and workforce restructuring in the IT sector.

TCS Employee Sleeps on Footpath Outside Office, Protests Over Unpaid Salary
Imagine working for one of India’s biggest IT companies, but not getting your salary for months. That’s exactly what happened to Saurabh More, an employee at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Pune. His story has gone viral after he was seen sleeping on the footpath outside his office, protesting for his pending salary.
What Happened?
Saurabh More returned to work at TCS’s Sahyadri Park office in Pune on July 29, 2025. But when he tried to log in, his employee ID wasn’t working, and he still hadn’t received his salary. In a meeting on July 30, he was told that his salary would be credited the next day. But July 31 came and went, and there was still no money in his account.
With no money left for food or rent, Saurabh told the HR team that he would have to sleep outside the office if he didn’t get paid. When he got no response, he did exactly that—he started living on the footpath right outside the TCS office, using his bag as a pillow. A photo of him sleeping there, with a handwritten letter explaining his situation, quickly spread across social media.
Support and Reactions
The Forum for IT Employees (FITE), a group that supports tech workers, released a statement backing Saurabh. They praised his courage and said that while protesting is important, employees should also file formal complaints with the Labour Office to make sure their rights are protected.
On social media, people had mixed reactions. Some criticized TCS, saying the company had lost its values. Others pointed out that salary delays can happen if an employee is absent without notice, and that salaries are usually processed in batches, not individually.
TCS Responds
TCS responded to the incident, saying that Saurabh’s salary was put on hold because he was absent from work without authorization. According to the company, this is standard procedure. However, they also said that now that he has reported back to work, they are providing him with accommodation and working to resolve the issue.
Bigger Picture
This incident comes at a time when TCS is restructuring its workforce, which could affect around 12,000 employees worldwide. As companies adjust to new technologies and business needs, stories like Saurabh’s highlight the challenges employees can face—and the importance of knowing your rights at work.
In the end, Saurabh’s protest is a reminder that sometimes, speaking up is the only way to be heard.

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