14 hours a day, 70 hours a week: What is Karnataka’s new work proposal for engineers?

After the Karnataka government reacted overwhelmingly and shelved a new bill seeking reservation for Kannadigas in private industries, the state could court a fresh controversy as it considers a proposal to increase the working tenure of technicians to 14 hours a day and 70 hours a week. Worried by the move, employees and unions in the IT sector have already opposed the move, terming it “inhuman”, while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his government are yet to comment on the issue.

The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) said the state government is planning to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, to increase the working hours of an employee in the IT/ITeS/BPO sector “for more than 12 hours in a day and not more than 125 hours in three consecutive months”. Representatives of the union met Minister of State for Labour Santosh Lad, Principal Secretary in the Labour Department Mohammad Mohsin and Principal Secretary of the IT-BT Department Ekroop Kaur, besides other officials, to register their opposition.

According to a report published by The HinduThe Labour Ministry convened a meeting with various industry stakeholders to present the proposal to increase the working hours to 14 per day and 70 per week. If implemented, the amendment will have an impact on the state capital Bengaluru, the IT hub of the country.

Unions call for proposal to ‘normalise’ 14-hour working day

The new proposal states that “an employee working in the IT/ITeS/BPO sector may be required or permitted to work more than 12 hours per day and not more than 125 hours in three consecutive months”. While not clearly stated, KITU said the new amendment seeks to normalise a 14-hour working day and will completely change the existing law that allows for a maximum of 10 hours per day, including overtime.

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“The proposed new law ‘Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2024’ seeks to normalise a 14-hour working day. The existing law allows only a maximum of 10 hours of work per day, including overtime, which has been completely abolished in the present amendment. It will allow the IT/ITES companies to extend the daily working hours indefinitely,” the statement said, according to a report published by NDTV.

The KITU was quoted as saying that this is the “biggest attack on the working class in this era” and that it could see companies switch to a two-shift system instead of the current three-shift system, while a third of the workforce could be laid off.

Union representatives said they also pointed to the health impact of such a proposal, saying the sector already suffers from poor physical and mental health. They cited studies to bolster their case, saying longer working hours can lead to strokes, heart disease and depression.

“According to the KCCI report, 45% of IT workers suffer from mental health problems such as depression, and 55% suffer from physical health effects. Increasing working hours will further aggravate this situation. According to a WHO-ILO study, increasing working hours will lead to an estimated 35% higher risk of death from stroke and 17% higher risk of death from ischemic heart disease,” KITU said.

The unions have urged the Prime Minister to “reconsider” the proposal, warning that it will be an “open challenge” to the 20 lakh employees working in the IT/ITeS sector in Karnataka, urging them to unite and oppose this “inhuman attempt to impose slavery on us”.

Boy told however The Hindu that the proposal is still in the discussion phase. “A proposal has been received to extend working hours to 14 hours. Discussions are still ongoing,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

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The proposal comes at a time when young people are increasingly aware of the negative impact of longer working hours on productivity and health, largely due to the Covid pandemic, which has led to hybrid work and home-working models.

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It also comes amid a raging debate over how many hours of work per day should be done by Indian techies and private sector workers, which was sparked by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s statement that he worked 14 hours a day, six days a week. However, he has amended his earlier statement, saying he was speaking only in terms of productivity.

Former Infosys executive TV Mohandas Pai, who strongly opposed the private sector quota bill, has also made similar statements about layoffs in the past. “In the first 10 years of your life, you have to work 12-14 hours a day to make an impact. Work-life balance is fine, but understand that work is life. HR comes and tells you about work-life balance, events, etc., but what happens to you if they are laid off? You will be laid off unless you are productive. If you compete with everyone and outperform everyone, then your job is much more secure,” he had said. The economic times in an old interview from 2022.

The proposal comes at a time when young people are increasingly aware of the negative impact of longer working hours on productivity and health, largely due to the Covid pandemic, which has led to hybrid work and home-working models.

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  • It also comes amid a raging debate over how many hours of work per day should be done by Indian techies and private sector workers, which was sparked by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s statement that he worked 14 hours a day, six days a week. However, he has amended his earlier statement, saying he was speaking only in terms of productivity.

    Former Infosys executive TV Mohandas Pai, who strongly opposed the private sector quota bill, has also made similar statements about layoffs in the past. “In the first 10 years of your life, you have to work 12-14 hours a day to make an impact. Work-life balance is fine, but understand that work is life. HR comes and tells you about work-life balance, events, etc., but what happens to you if they are laid off? You will be laid off unless you are productive. If you compete with everyone and outperform everyone, then your job is much more secure,” he had said. The economic times in an old interview from 2022.

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    first print: Jul 21, 2024, 3:40 PM IST