Karnataka cabinet shelves plan of 14-hour workdays for IT sector amid backlash: Report

Karnataka’s cabinet put on hold a proposal to increase IT sector work hours from 10 to 14 hours a day and indefinitely postponed the Kannadiga reservation bill.

On Monday, the Karnataka state cabinet shelved its controversial proposal to extend daily work hours in the IT sector from a maximum of 10 hours to 14 hours. The decision came amid significant pushback from industry leaders and associations, The Times of India reported.

The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union quickly denounced the proposal, branding it an “assault on workers’ fundamental rights”. (AP representative image.)

Additionally, the cabinet also decided to indefinitely delay the introduction of a Bill aimed at establishing job reservation for local candidates in the private sector. This move also follows a strong reaction from business heads and industry groups.

Nasscom, the industry body representing IT companies, clarified on Saturday that it supports the standard 48-hour workweek that is already in place nationwide. The organization stated it had never endorsed the idea of a 14-hour workday or a 70-hour workweek.

Minister Santosh Lad reportedly refused to approve the extended work hours proposal. His resistance may be linked to his dissatisfaction over the lack of support for the proposed reservation scheme for local workers, the report stated.

Under current labour laws, employees are allowed to work up to 12 hours per day, which includes a 10-hour regular shift and up to 2 hours of overtime. The proposed changes would have allowed IT and BPO firms to extend daily working hours beyond this limit, up to a total of 125 hours over a three-month period.

This proposal aimed to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act of 1961, revisiting a debate initiated last year by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, who had suggested that young professionals should work up to 70 hours a week—a proposal that had ignited considerable debate at the time.

This time is no different. The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) quickly denounced the proposal, branding it an “assault on workers’ fundamental rights”. The union argued that extending work hours could lead to widespread unemployment and reduce the number of shifts available in organizations.