After facing criticism over the job reservation bill, the Karnataka government is now planning to increase the working hours of IT employees to 14 hours a day from the current 10. This move has triggered opposition from IT sector unions.
The proposal to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act to facilitate a 14-hour workday was presented in a meeting called by the labour department with various stakeholders in the industry. Representatives from the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) have already met with labour minister Santosh Lad and raised their concerns over the move.
The proposed new bill, titled the ‘Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2024,’ aims to normalise a 14-hour workday. The current act allows a maximum of 10 hours of work per day, including overtime, which has been completely lifted in the current amendment.
IT sector unions have publicly protested against this move, calling it ‘inhuman’ and argued that it will have implications for 2 million workers in the state.
“It will allow IT/ITeS companies to extend the daily hours of work indefinitely. This amendment will enable companies to switch to a two-shift system instead of the current three-shift system, resulting in one-third of the workforce losing their jobs. During the meeting, KITU pointed out studies on the health impact of extended working hours among IT employees,” said Suhas Adiga, general secretary of KITU.
According to a KCCI report, 45 percent of employees in the IT sector are facing mental health issues, such as depression, and 55 percent are experiencing physical health impacts. Increasing working hours may further exacerbate this situation.
A WHO-ILO study states that increased working hours will lead to an estimated 35 percent higher risk of death from stroke and a 17 percent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, the union said.
“The Karnataka government, in their eagerness to please their corporate bosses, completely neglects the most fundamental right of any individual – the right to live. This amendment shows that the Government of Karnataka does not consider workers as human beings who need personal and social lives to survive,” Adiga added.
“The government sees them only as a means to increase corporate profits. This amendment comes at a time when the world is starting to realize that increased working hours have a negative impact on productivity, and more countries are enacting legislation to recognize the right to disconnect as a basic right for all employees,” he added.
The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union called on the government to reconsider and warned that any attempt to proceed with the amendment would be an open challenge to the 2 million employees working in the IT/ITeS sector in Karnataka.
“KITU calls on all IT/ITeS sector employees to unite and resist this inhuman attempt to impose slavery on us,” he added.
Meanwhile, the labour minister agreed to have one more round of discussion before making any decision.
This comes after the controversial draft bill proposing job quotas for locals in Karnataka was put on hold on Wednesday following intense protests from the industry.
