Washington: Indian IT workers are paid considerably less than their American counterparts who have similar qualifications, making the H-1B visa programme 'deeply flawed', according to a study.
The study by the Institute of Electrial and Electronics Engineers US (IEEE-USA) said holders of H-1B visas, given to professionals in America and largely availed by Indian IT workers, are 'taken advantage of' contrary to claims by US industry.
It cites an interview given by Vice-President of Tata Consultancy Services, Phiroz Vandrevala, to Business World magazine in which he had said his company enjoys a competitive advantage because of its extensive use of foreign workers in the United States on H-1B and L-1 visas.
"Our wage per employee is 20-25 per cent lesser than US wage for a similar employee," Vandrevala said. "Typically, for a TCS employee with five years experience, the annual cost to the company is $60,000-70,000, while a local American employee might cost $80,000-100,000."
The President of the IEEE-USA, Ralph W Wyndrum, Jr has called for proposals now before Congress to raise the H-1B visa cap to be scrapped until significant workforce protections for US and H-1B employees are instituted.
"Not paying market wages to H-1B holders is unfair to both foreign and domestic high-tech workers. H-1B employees are being taken advantage of, and some US workers' salaries are likely suppressed by the influx of thousands of additional job competitors.
"The wage problem is one symptom of how deeply flawed the H-1B programme is," Wyndrum said.
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