India: 14-hour workday for Karnataka employees? State government considering proposal

IT companies in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have submitted a proposal to the state government to extend the working hours of employees to 14 hours a day. According to the Karnataka State IT and Information Technology Employees Union (KITU), the proposal to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act and extend the working hours was presented at a meeting convened by the labour ministry.

If this measure is implemented, employees, who already have difficulty balancing work and private life, will have to work 70 hours per week. Current labor legislation provides for nine hours of work per day, plus an additional hour.

“IT/ITeS/BPO employees may be required or permitted to work more than 12 hours per day and not exceed 125 hours in three consecutive months,” the new proposal states.

The state government held a first meeting on the proposal which is expected to be discussed in further detail by the Cabinet.

KITU has expressed strong opposition to the proposal, saying it would aggravate existing health problems among overworked IT workers.

“According to the KCCI (the industry association) report, 45 percent of IT employees face mental health issues such as depression, and 55 percent face physical health issues. Increasing working hours will only make this situation worse,” the union said in a statement, seen by the publication.

“This amendment shows that the Karnataka government is not ready to consider workers as human beings who need personal and social life to survive. Instead, it considers them as a mere machine to increase the profits of the companies it serves,” he added.

The rather inexplicable proposal comes days after the Congress government was forced to shelve a bill that would have required reservation for premises holding private jobs.

The bill capped reservations at 70% for non-managerial posts and 50% for managerial posts for Kannadigas.

After a backlash from all quarters, the Karnataka government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said it would “reconsider” the bill.

The state’s Congress government has also planned to hike bus fares after its free transport scheme for women resulted in multi-crore losses for the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

(With contributions from agencies)