Mitti Cafe has terminated six employees with disabilities at its Delhi outlets, prompting allegations of abusive workplace behaviour and inadequate due process, while the organisation has attributed the action to alleged financial misconduct, alcohol consumption on duty, operational losses and repeated misconduct.
The dispute concerns outlets at Hansraj College and Rashtrapati Bhavan. Workers who spoke to the Times of India said they were removed without being given a valid reason and alleged that managerial staff used inappropriate language and mistreated them when they raised objections. Mitti Cafe denied the allegations and said the terminations followed internal inquiries, customer feedback and statements from other employees.
The organisation said it had observed discrepancies between inventory and billed sales over several months. In its response, Mitti cited alleged misappropriation of funds in two cases; wilful negligence leading to operational lapses and losses in another; alleged misappropriation of funds and consumption of alcohol while in uniform in a fourth case; alleged misappropriation of funds or stocks in a fifth; and repeated misconduct, including fighting with colleagues in front of customers, in the sixth.
Mitti said some of the alleged incidents involved food being served without bills, cash from such sales being shared among those involved and, in one instance, the use of a personal QR code instead of the cafe’s official payment QR code. The organisation said the employees had previously received warning letters. The workers denied the allegations and said no formal inquiry had been conducted before they were held responsible.
One termination notice reviewed by the Times of India cited “performance and current requirement of the organisation” as the reason for ending the employment. It also stated that Mitti would make efforts to assist the employee in finding suitable placement opportunities outside the organisation and promised transition support during the notice period. One terminated worker said she had not heard about the promised support. She said she had a physical disability, had worked with the organisation for several years and was the sole source of income for a family that included her terminally ill mother.
Another worker, a visually impaired NIOS student employed at the Hansraj College outlet, said he came from a lower-income family in Uttar Pradesh, lived in rented accommodation in Burari and had no other source of income. He alleged that he was suddenly terminated and forced to affix his thumb impression on the termination letter. Mitti rejected that allegation. A second employee with 70% visual impairment said he had worked at the organisation’s Gurgaon outlet for about three years before being transferred to Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he worked for about six months before receiving a termination notice.
Mitti founder Alina Alam said the organisation had referred to performance in the notice because explicitly mentioning theft or misappropriation could affect the employees’ future employment prospects. Mitti also denied terminating any employee from its Rashtrapati Bhavan outlet, saying an incorrect outlet reference on one employee’s letterhead was a clerical error. The organisation confirmed that six people had been terminated and said three others would be transferred to new outlets as they open.
Mitti Cafe describes itself as a non-profit organisation seeking to create employment and sustainable livelihoods for persons with disabilities. According to information on its website, it operates 72 cafes across India and employs 600 people with physical, intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. Its model includes institutional partners providing cafe spaces either rent-free or at subsidised rates, along with support for setup costs and donations.
On the allegations of abusive language and inappropriate behaviour, Mitti said the managers concerned, many of whom are themselves persons with disabilities, had denied the accusations. The organisation said it would conduct an inquiry if credible evidence or a formal complaint was brought before it. The immediate dispute therefore remains unresolved, with the employees’ allegations and the management’s misconduct claims yet to be independently adjudicated.
