Bad news for IT and BPO workers? After the Karnataka Reservation Bill, now this is coming!

KITU said the planned amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961 is an “open challenge” to the 2 million employees working in the IT/ITeS sector in the state.

Change in IT working hours in Karnataka: What is the proposed plan?

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 in a day and not more than 125 hours in any three consecutive months.”

Change in IT working hours in Karnataka: What KITU says

In a statement, Suhas Adiga, general secretary of Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), as quoted by ET, said, “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 done away with in the current amendment. It will allow the IT/ITeS companies to extend the daily working hours indefinitely.”

The state labour ministry recently held a meeting of industry stakeholders to present the proposed amendment. State labour minister Santosh S Lad, officials from the labour ministry and IT-BT ministry, as well as KITU president VJK Nair, general secretary Suhas Adiga and secretary Sooraj Nidiyanga attended the meeting.

KITU representatives who attended the meeting said the proposed amendment is an attack on a worker’s fundamental right to private life.

“This change will allow companies to switch to a two-shift system instead of the current three-shift system, and one-third of the staff will be dismissed from their duties,” KITU said in the statement.

It was further said that the Minister of Labour has agreed to another round of consultations before a decision is taken on the proposal.

KITU cited studies that highlighted the correlation between longer working hours and increased risk of stroke, heart disease and depression. The union said a report by the Karnatak Chamber of Commerce and Industry suggested that 45 percent of employees in the IT sector face mental health issues such as depression, while 55 percent face physical health issues.

“Increased working hours will further aggravate this situation. A WHO-ILO study says that increased working hours will lead to an estimated 35% higher risk of death from stroke and 17% higher risk of death from ischemic heart disease. The Karnataka government, in its hunger to please its corporate bosses, is completely ignoring the most fundamental right of every individual, the right to live,” Adiga said in the statement as quoted by ET.

The move comes just days after the Karnataka government shelved the controversial Job Reservation Act, which had prescribed 75 per cent reservation for non-management posts and 50 per cent reservation for management posts for ‘local candidates’.