A techie from Bangalore has compared his nine-year stint at one of India’s largest IT companies to “slavery without chains”, revealing his shocking experience in a Reddit post. Despite nearly a decade of service, his monthly salary was just ₹35,000 when he left the company.

Today, working for a global IT giant, his earnings have increased by almost 400%, underscoring the glaring pay gap he suffered.

His story sheds light on the systemic problems affecting the organization. Low annual raises, often between 4 and 6 percent, left wages stagnant, while a “progression” system merely shuffled employees through sublevels without pay increases or expanded roles. “When I left after nine years, my monthly salary was ₹35,000. Today I earn ₹1.7 lakh,” he wrote, calling for a change in corporate culture.

In his Reddit post, the technician criticized policies that ignored market wage adjustments, unlike his current and previous employers, who routinely adjusted pay to match industry standards.

Employees at his former company faced single-digit raises, leaving them underpaid despite years of service. Referrals to their new employer often resulted in former colleagues raising their salary by 80 to 100 percent, underscoring the discrepancy.

Beyond the salaries, the technician detailed other charges. Employees were charged ₹3,200 per month for transport, while parking fees were added to their expenses. Cafeteria costs were high, with a glass of juice priced at ₹40, double what he now pays at his current workplace.

The company mandated a minimum number of physical work hours, tracked through the identification card. This resulted in employees visiting the office on weekends for trivial reasons such as completing laundry, just to meet the required schedule.

Although the company’s leadership projected a philanthropic image, employees often joked that some of that generosity might have been directed toward staff welfare and better pay.

The technician called for systemic reform, advocating for a “minimum wage policy” across all sectors in India. His story is not just a personal narrative, but a rallying cry for fair treatment, better wage structures and labor policies that prioritize the dignity of employees.