Struggling to Get a Permanent Relieving Letter? Here's My Dilemma and Need for Advice

This is Satish, working for an Outsourcing Company. I have been with this company for the past 6.5 years. Let me explain the current situation regarding our company's new rules on issuing Permanent Relieving Letters to employees.

Current Policy on Relieving Letters

Our notice period is 60 days. After completing it, HR will issue a temporary relieving letter, and after 45 days, they will provide a permanent relieving letter. This is because they need to observe whether the employee is joining any competitor's company. If so, they will not issue the permanent letter. On the other side, the employee needs to provide a copy of the new employer's offer letter to the previous employer, and only then will the permanent relieving letter be given.

Kindly inform me on how I can obtain this permanent relieving letter after completing my notice period. Due to this policy, many of our colleagues are facing challenges in joining competitor companies or securing new jobs without the permanent relieving letter, causing a lot of hardship.

Please help us.

Thanks & Regards,
Satish

With due respect, I would like to say I do not understand the rule at all. What kind of rule is this? How can another company accept the employee without a relieving letter?

Clarification on Relieving Letters

There is no temporary or permanent relieving letter as such; relieving is relieving. Please let the forum know what contents are typically mentioned in the temporary and permanent relieving letters so that we can provide appropriate advice.

Could you please attach a copy of BOTH the Temporary AND Permanent Relieving Letters [anyone from among your ex-employees should also be OK] in this thread? I would like to see the WORDINGS used in each of them.

As other members have mentioned, there's NOTHING called temporary or permanent Relieving Letters--there's ONLY ONE. If you can attach the copies, the members can suggest the best possible and realistic options available to you and others like you in your company.

All the Best.

Regards,
TS

Can you please attach a copy of BOTH the Temporary AND Permanent Relieving Letters (anyone from among your ex-employees should also be OK) in this thread? I would like to see the WORDINGS used in each of them. Like other members mentioned, there's NOTHING called temporary or permanent Relieving Letters—there's ONLY ONE. If you can attach the copies, the members can suggest the best possible and realistic options available to you and others like you in your company. All the Best.

Regards,
TS

In the Temporary Letter:

1. It's mentioned not to join any competitor's company or start a new company with the same process.
2. If you join a competitor's company, a permanent relieving letter will not be issued.
3. No final settlement will be done, and you are also not eligible to apply for PF/Gratuity amount.
4. You need to submit a copy of the new company offer letter to get the permanent letter.
5. Do not work for any competitor's company for the next 2 years in the same process.

In the Permanent Letter:

1. Do not work for any competitor's company for the next 2 years in the same process.
2. If you do so, then no final settlement will be done, and you are also not eligible to apply for PF/Gratuity amount.
3. Legal action will be taken against the employees for joining a competitor's company.

When I mentioned 'WORDINGS', the intent was to request you to post the letters as they are (maybe you can take xerox copies, strike/mask out the names, scan them & post them in this thread). You have given details as you understand them. Hope you notice the difference—there's a lot of it. Prima facie, with the limited inputs you just mentioned, please note that no power on Earth can stop yours or anyone's PF, as this is a statutory obligation of all employers—which should have been credited into your PF account from day one of your employment with this company. So the 'eligibility' that you talk about doesn’t even arise—since the eligibility comes from day one, while we are discussing here about the relieving letters—meaning the status of the last day at work here. Hope you get the point.

Since you have mentioned the non-compete clause being a part of the relieving letter, it's also important for the members to know about any such mention in the appointment letters—please clarify/confirm.

Regards,
TS