Wipro Tech may lay off 85 people in R&D

Wipro Technologies Oy, the information technology services arm of Wipro in Finland, announced on Thursday its plans to initiate a consultation process with employee representatives.

The aim is to restructure a part of its Finnish telecom research and development operations to meet changing market and customer needs.

After considering all options, the company has decided to enter into a negotiation process with the employees, given the challenging industry situation in telecom R&D.

The planned negotiation process may impact a maximum of 85 people across four locations in Finland, including Rovaniemi, Kokkola, Pori and Oulu.

In Finland, Wipro's operations focus on IT and R&D services with 300 employees in all. Operations in Helsinki, Tampere, Turku and Seinäjoki are expected to continue uninterrupted.

The technology and telecom verticals contribute close to 17 per cent to Wipro's top line.

Wipro acquired wireless network infrastructure provider Saraware Oy around mid-2006 for Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion) in an upfront cash payment and debt takeover.

Image: Azim Premji. | Photograph: Reuters