Karnataka govt considers 14 hrs work per day for IT sector; workers' union calls it 'biggest ever attack on working class'

KITU stated that the proposal to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act for a 14-hour workday was discussed in a labour department meeting with various industry stakeholders, reported NDTV.

If implemented, the extended work hours would significantly impact Bengaluru, the state's capital and IT hub.

The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led government has not yet commented on the issue.

"The proposed new bill 'Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2024' attempts to normalize a 14-hour work day. The existing act only allows a maximum of 10 hours of work per day including overtime, which has been completely lifted in the current amendment. It will facilitate the IT/ITES companies to extend the daily hours of work indefinitely," the Union said in a statement.

This amendment, the KITU said was the "biggest ever attack on the working class in this era", and will allow the companies to go for a two-shift system instead of the currently existing three-shift system and one-third of the workforce will be thrown out from their employment.

"This amendment comes in a period when the world starts to accept the fact that increased working hours are negatively impacting productivity and more countries are coming with new legislations to accept the right to disconnect as a basic right of any employee," the Union said.

The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union urged the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led government to reconsider the proposal, warning that any attempt to proceed with the amendment would be an "open challenge" to the 20 lakh employees working in Karnataka's IT/ITeS sector.

The Union also called on all IT sector employees to unite and resist this "inhuman attempt to impose slavery on us."

Last year, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy sparked a major debate by suggesting that India's work culture needs to change and that young people should be prepared to work 70 hours a week.

His company, headquartered in Bengaluru, has a market valuation of Rs 7,44,396.43 crore.

Earlier this week, the Karnataka government stirred controversy by clearing a bill that required private sector firms to prioritize local hires for 70 percent of non-management roles and 50 percent of management-level jobs.

Drafted by the state's Labour Department, the proposed bill claimed that these jobs were largely going to people from northern states who then settled in Karnataka.

It suggested that Karnataka-based companies benefiting from state-provided infrastructure should reserve jobs for locals.

However, the bill was paused after public outrage followed the announcement.