‘Industrialists pressuring us to pass 14-hour work day Bill’: Karnataka labour minister, says not a government proposal

Santosh Lad, Minister for Labour, Karnataka, claimed that the government is under pressure from the IT industry to pass a new legislation proposing extra hours of work for techies. 

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, Minister Santhosh Lad said, “The Bill has come to us because of pressure from the IT industries; it is not the IT Minister (Priyank Kharge) himself who has come up with this idea. The industrialists are pressuring us for this.” 

He clarified that the government is evaluating the Bill “from the labour department’s perspective” that would allow software professionals to work for 14 hours a day.  

“Now, the question is, I want all industrial heads to discuss it as the issue is in the public domain. People are free to express their opinions. I want all the major stakeholders to debate this. Since the matter has come to the public, there is dissent among IT employees. 

“I want people to share their opinions. Based on this, we, as a department, will definitely look into the issue,” he stated. 

The new proposal states that “an employee working in IT/ITeS/BPO sector may be required or allowed to work for more than 12 hours in a day and not exceeding 125 hours in three continuous months”. 

According to the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), the proposal to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act to facilitate a 14-hour working day was presented in a meeting called by the labour department with various stakeholders in the industry. 

On the issue of personal and social life of IT employees, he said, “IT heads and leaders of big companies in the country need to discuss this. They will come forward for discussions over these issues, right?” 

The minister said that the IT companies, owners, and directors should come forward and discuss the work-life balance issue. 

“Now, the dissent is coming from the union, isn’t it? Why don’t the IT heads talk about it? Whether the feedback is positive or negative, the government will look into what needs to be done,” he stated. 

“Because it is an IT industry concern, we are addressing it. Nothing has been done suo moto by any department; neither has the IT minister acted independently. The government has done nothing on its own. The government and my department, in our wisdom, will make a decision,” he assured. 

The minister also requested and appealed everyone to voice their opinion because it is in the public domain. 

KITU expressed its concerns over this potential change, highlighting the significant impact it would have on employees’ mental and physical health and their work-life balance. 

Union representatives met state labour minister Santosh Lad, labour department principal secretary Mohammad Mohsin and IT-BT department principal secretary Ekroop Kaur among other officials to register their opposition. 

Earlier, the Karnataka government courted a controversy when it cleared a bill requiring private sector firms in the state to prioritise local hires for 70 percent of non-management roles and 50 percent of management-level jobs. 

The proposed bill, drafted by the state’s labour department, claimed the jobs in question were being given largely to people from the northern states who were then settling in Karnataka. However, the bill was put on the backburner after outrage following its announcement.