Employees of the US-based CorroHealth Infotech Private Limited, who were terminated without prior notice, waiting at the entrance of the company office in Kochi on Tuesday morning.
| Photo Credit: H. Vibhu
: Employees of the US-based technology company CorroHealth Infotech Private Limited were locked out of their office in the city on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), in violation of a directive issued at a meeting held the previous day.
The meeting, attended by Uma Thomas, MLA, Labour Commissioner Safna Nazarudeen, representatives of employees, trade unions, and the firm’s legal representative, had directed the company to allow employees, who were terminated without notice, access to the Kochi office until a meeting between Labour Minister Bindhu Krishna and top executives of the firm scheduled for July 10.
“The outcome of the meeting was conveyed to the local legal advisor to be passed on to the company. However, the office was found locked today, and even the security guards were missing. Employees, obviously, cannot break in. So, until the meeting on Friday, those residing nearby have been asked to come to the office and mark their attendance as evidence that they were on duty,” said Ms. Thomas. She has also alerted the labour minister, labour secretary, and labour commissioner about the situation.
Around 600 employees of the company, which provides healthcare analytics and technology-driven solutions to hospitals and healthcare systems, were laid off from the Kochi office last Friday with little notice, along with about 200 counterparts in Kozhikode. They were issued “separation and full and final settlement” letters.
The company had been asked to maintain status quo until the conciliatory meeting on Monday.
However, the medical coding firm did not comply and instead credited three months’ salary – purportedly a severance package -to the accounts of affected employees late that same night.
“We have collected details and marked the attendance of all employees who reported for duty at the office on Tuesday. The employer is liable to provide employment once employees turn up. Hence, they will be considered on duty. Our Assistant Labour Officers will continue marking attendance until the high-level meeting on Friday,” said Minoy James, Ernakulam District Labour Officer.
P.T. Vishnu, one of the affected employees, said discontent was brewing among staff over the company’s actions. “While we will register our protest, we will not do anything that will discredit us,” he said.
Employees, while demanding reversal of the lay-offs, expressed willingness to accept salary restructuring if it preserved their jobs. If the decision is irreversible, they are demanding a severance package equivalent to 10 months’ salary to provide reasonable time to secure alternative employment.
Published – July 07, 2026 02:39 pm IST
