Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft's Expansions in India and EDGI in India Lead to Call for a Boycott

Abramoff SIAC 2004



Summary: Microsoft's lobbying with convicted criminal Abramoff (for cheaper labour) comes back to haunt them

EARLIER this year we wrote a great deal about EDGI. It is an anti-competitive programme that Microsoft was running for years in order to just block competition such as GNU/Linux. Antitrust exhibits also showed the role of EDGI in India, e.g.:





As we last showed one week ago, Microsoft is expanding its operations in India in order to reduce workers' wages. The following new article from the Economic Times speaks about both the expansion and EDGI (which Microsoft publicly calls "Unlimited Potential", even though it is a euphemism).

Convergys and Microsoft set up community technology centre in Bangalore



[...]

Vikas Goswami, Community Affairs Manager, Microsoft India, said, "Under our global Unlimited Potential initiative, we are committed to reaching the benefits of technology to those currently underserved by it. This alliance with Convergys is another step in that direction, and one that we hope will have a positive impact on scores of lives."


Here are some more new deals and partnerships for Microsoft in India and from the India Journal we learn that "Max H-1B Visas Taken By Wipro, Microsoft, Infosys"

The U.S. economy is still reeling under the impact of recession and even though unemployment continues to rise, employers have stepped up the hiring of skilled workers from abroad, according to data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The acceleration in recent weeks has put companies close to exhausting the 65,000 visas allotted each year for foreign hires under what’s known as the H-1B program, reports Business Week.

[...]

Non U.S. outsourcers still claimed six of the top 10 places in fiscal 2009, although the numbers were off for the largest operators. India’s Infosys Technologies topped the list in fiscal 2008, with 4,559 visas, but last year got only 440. Wipro was the largest visa recipient in 2009, with 1,964, down from 2,678 in 2008. Sridhar Ramasubbu, Wipro’s Chief Financial Officer for International Operations, says that the drop is the result of lower demand caused by the recession and changes in the company’s workforce. “We’re now operating in 58 countries,” he says.


We have already explained what Wipro does for Microsoft in India [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. For background about Infosys, see older posts that are about a year old. Not much has changed since then. Infosys is helping Microsoft legalise software patents in India [1, 2, 3], it is exploiting Indian people, and it also helped OOXML [1, 2]. There is lots more [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. In essence, Wipro and Infosys are helping a neo-colonialist, a foreign digital invader. It is not about helping India but about making India more dependent on Microsoft.

Some people do realise how Gates and Abramoff have scammed the system in order to reduce wages and increase working hours. A new blog post from ABC News, which has received a lot of comments, includes the following comment:

How can the US Create jobs? Here's a simple way that won't cost taxpayers a dime.

How? Eliminate H-1B and L-1 Visa Fraud and abuse.

What can I do right now to change this? Boycott Microsoft. Microsoft is the largest and most abusive foreign visa worker employer.

* Foreign H-1B workers "displace qualified American workers" * H-1B workers "substantially deprived U.S. citizens of employment." * 20% + USCIS audited guest worker visa applications are fraudulent * Foreign H-1B workers “substantially exceed” 241,000 unemployed American tech workers in the same field

How did this happen? Corporate Greed and bottomless lobbyist funding from corporations including Microsoft. Convicted felon and H-1B program mastermind, Microsoft lobbyist, Jack Abramoff convinced Congress (without opposing testimony) to pass laws that make it legal for employers to lay off American citizens, and recruit their foreign visa worker replacements exclusively offshore.

The good news

S887 - This bipartisan Durbin/Grassley bill reform will crack down on corporate visa fraud and abuse and outlaw the corporate bypass of US talent and exclusive recruiting offshore for US jobs in the USA.

Employ Americans Act – The Sanders/Grassley bill will outlaw US employers from firing US citizens and exclusively hire their replacements from other countries.

Simple things YOU can do TODAY to change the US jobs crisis 1. BOYCOTT Microsoft. 2. Insist your elected officials support Employ America Act and S887.

If they don’t support these bipartisan bills, ask why and CHASE THE MONEY. Who are their corporate funding contributors?

Actions and Deeds NOT Lip service. What are YOUR politicians doing about the jobs crisis? Are they co-sponsoring/sponsoring these bipartisan bills? What’s their voting record? Are they fighting for unemployment and COBRA benefits?

Dead giveaways your politician will do ZERO to create US jobs for US citizens Political funding from Microsoft, Compete America, and Indian companies

B.S. Detector Corporate Greed funded lies – keywords “Innovation”, “Best, and Brightest”, globalization, xenophobia.

This issue is the bulls eye of corporate greed and political corruption. Hence, a consumer boycott of Microsoft has more impact than expecting a broken, corrupt system to change.

Remind your elected officials they were elected FOR the people, BY the PEOPLE, not BUY Corporate GREED.

Tell them to end corporate visa fraud and abuse. American citizens, people who have paid their dues and taxes must have a fair chance to compete for jobs in our own country.


This is not an issue of ethnicity or race. It is an issue of commerce. Microsoft is abusing a class by reducing wages and decreasing worker security, which may be good for the economy in the sense that it keeps people terrified and obedient while corporations pocket more money, but at the same time it is an horrific stomp on people's civil liberties. It also squashes any prospects of organising unions and narrowing of the class gap.

“As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours.”

--Bill Gates

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

EPO Staff Can Go Listen to Richard Stallman Next Week in Munich (Technical University of Munich, Rudolf-Diesel Hörsaal (MW2001) on Campus Garching at 18:00)
"The talk is open to the public and attendance is free. Registration is not required."
At IBM, Relocation Means Layoffs (Downsizing)
Silent or 'invisible' layoffs?
Dystopian Trends in Technology Make Richard Stallman More Relevant Than Ever
It's good to see him attracting vast audiences
Richard Stallman (RMS) Announced His Talk Less Than 24 Hours Before It Took Place and Still Filled Up the Auditorium at Sapienza Università di Roma
Photos from yesterday evening [...] It looks like it was a very successful event
 
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 14, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Proprietary and DRM Prisons Spiralling Down the Sinkhole? Not Just Yet.
Let's hope that more people will flee to GNU/Linux
The European Patent Office (EPO), the Second-Largest Institution in Europe, is Cracking Down on Recreational Activities
Without AMICALE activities, and as staff already says it's pressured to work more for less, how can the EPO recruit bright people?
Transparency: FSFE financial reports exclude speaker fees and expenses
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Many Developers Have Many Political Views, They'll Never Agree on Everything
It's an effort to divide and destroy, not build
Gemini Links 14/10/2025: An Opportunity to Consider GNU/Linux and Another Simple IRC Client
Links for the day
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT, LinuxSecurity, Google News, and the Serial Slopper Brian Fagioli
Nothing of merit here, just more slop
Links 14/10/2025: Lack of Trust in Slop and "Retirement Challenges"
Links for the day
Rhonda D'Vine, Gerfried Fuchs, Pronouns & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Central Staff Committee of the European Patent Office (EPO) Warns That EPO Management is Robbing or Manipulating Pension Funds Again
Faking "growth" is just about as bad as forgery
Probably a Lot Worse Than LLM Slop: GNOME Tying Itself to Divisive Politics, Even Where It's Clearly Not Relevant
Something has gone terribly wrong in GNOME
Links 14/10/2025: Microsoft OneDrive Scanning Faces in Photos (Without Asking First), "OpenAI Says It Will Move to Allow Smut"
Links for the day
They Generally Don't Like Scholars, as They're Less Compelled or Pressured to Repeat What Corporations and Oligarchs Say
People who loathe scholars have an agenda in mind that, unlike that of reasonable people, revolves around controlling people
Belated New Article About Last Thursday's Lecture by Richard Stallman in Helsinki, Finland
there are good reasons to pay with cash, not limited to privacy
Attacking Richard Stallman Has Become 'Career Suicide'
If you're going to viciously attack somebody, make sure your arguments are rock-solid
Microsoft's Failing XBox Business Has Turned Games Into Funerals
How does it feel to depend on Microsoft?
Yesterday's "Distinguished Lecture" by Richard Stallman Possibly Attended by Close to 1,000 People
The capacity of the place is about 900
Slop Poisons Everything
Imagine wanting to find what Torvalds has just said or what has just been released
Taking Software Freedom 'Mainstream'
interest in Software Freedom must have grown
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, October 13, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, October 13, 2025
Gemini Links 14/10/2025: Ada Lovelace Day, Sony CLIE PEG-TG50 Review, Why to Avoid Network Solutions
Links for the day
The EPO's War on Techrights Was a Massive Mistake
The EPO started the SLAPPs after we had published a few hundreds of articles; we've since then published close to 6,000 because the attacks on us emboldened insiders to help us
General-Purpose Computers to Become Growing Area of Coverage
Without them, we have little left for controlling our lives
"They missed a great opportunity to shut up." -Jacques Chirac
Brett Wilson LLP has been trying to cheat the legal system many times
Harassment evidence: Switzerland, overcrowded fitness and yoga centers, incompetence and racism in accident response
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Vincent Danjean & Debian NXIVM collateral, blackmail risks
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
In Sweden This Past Friday Richard Stallman Explained Why Copyleft is Important
And he didn't have to 'bash' BSDs, either
IBM Layoffs Due to a Lack of Money and Company Debt Rising by Almost 10 Billion Dollars in 6 Months
IBM didn't buy Red Hat for any ideological reasons; it was a fast "cash grab" for revenue
Forbes Already Stopped Being a News Sites. Now It's a Spam and Propaganda Platform for "Paying Partners" (Companies).
news from Forbes became very scarce
Is the Second-Largest Institution in Europe (EPO) Gradually Becoming More Like a Sweatshop?
Underpaid, unqualified, inexperienced and incompatible people are already recruited to replace veteran examiners
The Register MS Has No FOSS Coverage Anymore
The Editor in Chief is like a Microsoft plant
Links 13/10/2025: "Toasty Subwoofer" and WiFi Speakers "Are About To Go Dumb"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: iNaturalist and Tove Jansson’s Moominpappa at Sea
Links for the day
Microsoft Does Not Deny That Large Retailers Like Walmart, Costco and Target Are Giving Up on XBox (and Not Stocking It)
No doubt XBox is in trouble and rumours suggest that more mass layoffs are imminent
We'll Encourage Richard Stallman to Talk About Software Patents at the EPO Next Week When He Visits Munich (EPO Headquarters)
Go listen to Richard Stahlmann
Investigative Journalism Protects Society From Corruption, Crimes Against Women, Assaults on Civil Society
"what is the point of men doing military practice to defend a system that is so rotten?"
Swiss pimp usurping reputation of legendary Tissot boss Francois Thiébaud from France (BaselWorld, SWATCH Group SA)
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Paris 'Love Nest' & Debian Outreachy: from Lycée Lakanal to ENS Cachan, Cr@ns, nepotism
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Richard Stallman to Give Public Talk in 3 Hours, Then in the Technical University of Munich (Germany) Next Week
Richard Stallman at TUM on 21.10.2025 18:00, MW2001
Arnaud Parreaux lost case defending rogue employer
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Mathieu Elias Parreaux declared bankrupt in Switzerland
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Breakdown of the Rule of Law and Patent Law in the European Union (EU)
The EPO cannot recruit suitably qualified patent examiners this way, let alone retain them
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: Good Films, Wizard of Earthsea, Upgrading the Steam Controller's Stick
Links for the day
Leaks and Whistleblowers: Our Plan for Today
Society simply cannot advance when too many people self-censor
It's Not Justice When One Side Denies the Other Side the Ability to Even Speak
At this stage, Brett Wilson LLP is in my humble opinion acting in contempt of the Court
Links 13/10/2025: Australian Catholic University Uses Slop to Libel Students, Canada Threatens to Kill Beluga Whales
Links for the day
How Not to Silence Tux Machines (It'll Only Backfire, Badly)
defending Microsoft while attacking this site
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT and Google News
It seems abundantly clear that Google News and Google in general participates in the slop epidemic
Vincent Danjean (not INTERPOL), Claire Bardel & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Christmas lynchings: Martin Krafft (madduck), Penny Leach (mjollnir) & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: Birthdays and "Committee Unable to Contact Nobel Prize Winner"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, October 12, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, October 12, 2025