'IT Industry Exerting Pressure To Go Ahead': Karnataka Minister On 14-Hour Work Day Proposal

The proposed 'Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2024' seeks to normalise a 14-hour work day. The existing act only allows a maximum of 10 hours work per day including overtime.

This amendment 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, it claimed.

Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees' Union (KITU) has urged the Siddaramaiah-led government to reconsider the plans to extend the working hours, strongly opposing the proposed amendment which, it said, poses an "attack on the basic right of any worker to have a personal life."

'IT Industry Exerting Pressure To Extend Working Hours'

Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad on Monday said IT industry "wants" the extended working hours. "It is not the Minister who has brought himself (the proposed bill). The industry is pressurising. (They) are asking and they want it. Since there is pressure from the industry, the bill has come to us. We are still evaluating it at the Labour department. The question is for all the heads of the industry to discuss this," news agency PTI quoted Lad as saying.

Stating that the IT employees union has expressed their dissent, he urged industry veterans and captains to also come out and share their views.

Speaking to reporters, Lad said: "The matter is in open domain, people are free to discuss this. They (industry leaders) express (opinion) for every thing, so I want all the big heads (of the industry) to debate and express their view. There is dissent from IT employees. I want people to have their opinion. Based on that as a department we will look into what has to be done."

To a question on the impact of this proposed extended workers on the health, social and personal life of the employees, the Minister said: "Let the IT heads, the so-called big heads of the country, discuss. For everything they come out. I want the IT heads, IT company owners, Directors -- let them come and share their opinion, whether it is required or not.

The dissent is coming from the union, let the IT industry people, the heads have to speak about it positive or negative, and the government will look into what has to be done."

The IT industry is pressuring the government to go ahead with the proposal, he said. "Without their consent why would we do it suo moto. It is not done by any department, nor by the IT Minister. The pressure is from the IT industry itself, and that's how the proposal has come to us."

Asked as to why the government cannot reject the proposal totally, the Minister said: "the government has done nothing. The proposal has come from the IT industry, it is good that it is in the public domain, definitely the government and my department in its wisdom will definitely take a call, but let people give their opinion."

What Karnataka IT-BT Minister

Karnataka's IT-BT Minister Priyanka Kharge said on Monday that he is not aware of what the IT firms have proposed with regard to extending employee working hours from 12 hours to 14 hours.

The minister said that there is a draft bill brought by the Labour department and more discussion will take place on it before it is approved.

"I am not sure what proposal ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services companies) have given but there was a bill that was brought in by Labour Department. We will look at it. There is a misconception about the bill. We will have a discussion and we will be more than happy to brief media about that," Priyanka Kharge told news agency ANI.