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Displaced IT Workers Being Silenced

dcblogs writes A major problem with the H-1B debate is the absence of displaced IT workers in news media accounts. Much of the reporting is one-sided — and there's a reason for this. An IT worker who is fired because he or she has been replaced by a foreign, visa-holding employee of an offshore outsourcing firm will sign a severance agreement. This severance agreement will likely include a non-disparagement clause that will make the fired worker extremely cautious about what they say on Facebook, let alone to the media. On-the-record interviews with displaced workers are difficult to get. While a restrictive severance package may be one handcuff, some are simply fearful of jeopardizing future job prospects by talking to reporters. Now silenced, displaced IT workers become invisible and easy to ignore. This situation has a major impact on how the news media covers the H-1B issue and offshore outsourcing issues generally.

2 of 398 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Wow... by scottbomb · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "I knew slashdot was right wing these days"

    LOL really?! The leftist propaganda keeps me away from this site most of the time.

  2. Catholic Health by Pontiac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I left before it happened but my former company outsourced all of IT to Wipro.
    This was on a system with 60,000 users.
    Everyone but management was replaced with H1B- workers from India.
    Outgoing staff was asked to stay and train their replacements with no severance packages.
    Very few stayed and turnover documents were not made (hmm I wonder why) so the incoming Wipro workers had to discover and document the systems themselves.
    I hear it was a real nightmare with lots of $$ spent on contractors to help figure things out.

    --
    If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. --Red Adair