Talrop Shuts 21 Companies in Kerala, Over 300 Employees Left Unpaid
The Kochi-based ecosystem development company Talrop has closed 21 companies across Kerala, leaving over 300 employees with salary arrears ranging from four to 11 months. The shutdown comes shortly after the U.S. medical coding firm CorroHealth Infotech Private Limited terminated nearly 800 employees in the state.
Affected employees staged a protest march to the company's head office at Thrikkakara on Saturday morning, demanding clearance of dues. The protest followed Talrop's public announcement of its shutdown on its Instagram handle the previous day. The post stated that the company, after more than a decade, had decided to shut down its ecosystem, claiming it had achieved its mission and was not built for the AI era.
The company also mentioned an annual burn of nearly ₹100 crore and a transition to an institution-driven model. However, employees accused the company of abandoning them. Mohammed Ashraf, an employee who claims to have not received salary for 11 months, alleged that the company, run on outside investments, showed scant regard for its workforce after shutting down 38 offices.
Talrop's website described it as a Build-Operate-Transfer (B.O.T.) company developing self-sustaining ecosystems. A company spokesperson described the shutdown as temporary, attributing the crisis to AI and the unexpected war in West Asia. She said pending salaries and compensations would be cleared before October.
Employees have lodged complaints with labour offices in multiple districts. The District Labour Officer of Ernakulam, Minoy James, said that initial complaints were cleared by the company, but later it stopped responding, and employees were advised to file petitions in the labour court.
One employee with 10 months' arrears said she left after the company failed to honour promises during her father's medical emergency. The company maintains its commitment to pay dues, but many employees remain skeptical.
