Wipro in legal tussle

A former Wipro business development manager in the UK is suing the company for what he says is unpaid commission for at least £1 million.

According to a report in The Register, UK, Paul van den Berg, who was with Wipro in the UK between July 2003 and February 2005, has charged Wipro with not paying commission on a contract that he procured from Shell, worth in excess of $200 million.

The publication quotes van den Berg’s solicitor as saying that the commission could now be worth upwards of £3 million, “since the value of the contract might now be worth as much as $500 million.’’

The claim, filed with the high court in London, states that the exact amount of commission owed could not be known until full details of the deal were released. The claim also states, according to The Register , that Wipro had lured van den Berg from his job at “rival outsourcer Infosys, where he had been doing business with Royal Dutch Shell Plc since 1984.’’

A Wipro spokesperson said the company “categorically refutes the claims made in a section of media by a former employee Paul van den Berg with regard to outstanding payments.’’ He added, “Wipro has completed his (van den Berg) full and final settlement in accordance with the employment contract executed with van den Berg. Wipro is defending itself against these claims in court, and while the case is sub judice, is not in a position to comment on the details.’’