A day after the landmark judgment of the London employment tribunal giving her partial victory in her case of sexual harassment at the workplace against IT major Wipro and Manoj Punja, former head of
A day after the landmark judgment of the London employment tribunal giving her partial victory in her case of sexual harassment at the workplace against IT major Wipro and Manoj Punja, former head of Wipro BPO in London, 39-year-old Shreya Ukil, a former sales and market development manager with the company’s back office operations in London, spoke to this newspaper about the trial and her trauma during it. In a telephonic conversation from London, she said she was shocked at Wipro calling it a “win-win” judgment. “Do they mean to say that they won by harassing me or by unfairly dismissing me from work Do they mean to say that they won by underpaying me and forcing me to put up with sexist remarks ” she asked. Excerpts:
Q. How do you feel about the judgment A: I am thrilled and happy about the judgment. It was a fight for my rights and dignity.
Q. How do you see your experience A: It was undoubtedly a hard struggle, a tough battle that I fought for one-and-a-half years. But the only way to change the equation was to come out of the darkness and ensure that it was brought to light. I had served the organisation for several years and had toiled hard for it. But, they called me names like ‘un-European’ and B****. It was a fight for my dignity, my rights and my respect. No one has the right to destroy it. I never wanted things to come to litigation, but the company didn’t leave me any choice.
Q: What kind of harassment did you face A: I was underpaid although I did the same work as my male peers of the same grade. I was paid almost 50 per cent less than my male colleagues. The bosses, who were male, used to verbally abuse me, pass sexist remarks... After it all started I tried every possible way to escalate the issue at the top level, approaching everyone from human resources to ombudsman. But I was forced to sign an indemnity letter by the human resources head saying I would not bring any sexual harassment claims against Wipro. In fact, I even sent an email to Wipro chairman Azim Premji, who promised a fair probe into the issue. But I was fired.
Q. What do you think needs to be done to bring parity between men and women at the workplace A: Well, firstly it is essential that there is parity between them as women are no less then men in the business. Women should not sit back and let a company or a man alone take charge of their rights and harass them. They need to stand up for their themselves and be aware of their rights at the workplace.
Q: What advise would you like to give other women in employment now that you have become a symbol of courage in the face of harassment A: The only thing I want to tell my fellow women in the workforce is never walk away from the problems or any issue they are facing, be it at the workplace or at home. There is nothing you should be ashamed of when you are not wrong. Fight for your rights, speak up and let the world know. Make sure you approach the right people, follow a proper, recorded channel to make your voice heard and ask the right questions. All the companies are not bad. They are doing well for their women employees unlike others, who are only paying lip-service and nothing beyond.
Q. What do you plan to do now Will you fight for the cause of women like you A: Its an interesting question. What do I say to you There are so many things lined up for me right now. Many have suggested writing my own book on the struggle. You never know what strikes when. But as of now my hands are full with the ongoing case. Hopefully, once things are settled, I will join work again somewhere or may be sit down and write a book.
