Bengaluru
The Karnataka government's proposed amendment to increase working hours for employees in the IT and BPO sectors has met with a mixed response. The proposal aims to extend the daily working hours from 9 to 10 hours, and the maximum daily working period, including overtime, from 9 to 12 hours. To facilitate this, the government has drafted an amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961. A meeting to discuss this draft was held today, chaired by Labour Department Secretary Rohini Sindhuri, and attended by representatives from various labour organizations.
Currently, Section 7 of the 1961 Act stipulates that working hours should not exceed 9 hours per day. The new proposal seeks to extend this to 12 hours, including overtime. Additionally, the overtime limit, which was previously capped at 50 hours over three months, is proposed to be increased to 144 hours.
The Karnataka IT Employees Union (KITU) has strongly opposed the proposed labour law amendment. KITU expressed concern that extending working hours to 12 hours could potentially reduce the number of shifts from three to two, leading to job cuts. The union cited a report indicating that 90% of corporate sector employees under the age of 25 are experiencing anxiety due to long working hours.
Varalakshmi, President of CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions), who also participated in the Labour Department meeting, voiced her opposition to the proposal. She stated to TV9 Kannada, "The government should not amend the law for any reason. It will burden the workers. I will appeal to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not to increase working hours."