IT, BPO employees protest extended work hours in Karnataka
BENGALURU, INDIA — The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) organized a protest against a proposed bill that seeks to extend the maximum daily working hours in the information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) sectors from 10 to 14 hours.
The demonstration saw a significant turnout of employees voicing their concerns over the potential impact on their work-life balance and job security.
Current regulations and proposed changes
The prevailing law permits a maximum of nine working hours plus an additional hour of overtime. The new proposal would allow IT and BPO firms to require employees to work up to 125 hours over three continuous months.
The government argues that this change is necessary to boost Karnataka’s share of global capability centers (GCCs) in India from 45% to 50%.
However, the proposal sparked outrage among IT sector unions, who argue that the extended hours will severely impact the mental and physical health of employees.
KITU has been vocal in its opposition to the bill, warning that extending working hours could prompt companies to shift from a three-shift system to a two-shift system. This change, according to the union, could result in job losses for approximately one-third of the workforce.
Earlier protests and wider opposition
KITU has been staging protests across Bengaluru’s IT parks to build momentum against the proposed bill. On July 22, KITU conducted street campaigns and gate meetings at 29 locations, including in front of major IT firms like Accenture and Bosch Global Software Technologies.
Other IT staff unions, including the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), have also opposed the proposal. NITES President Harpreet Singh Saluja criticized the bill, stating that none of the IT companies pay employees overtime.
Cabinet shelves controversial proposal
The protest comes in the wake of the Karnataka state cabinet’s recent decision to put on hold its controversial proposal to extend daily work hours.
During the protest, Manjunath G, the Additional Commissioner of the Labour Department, addressed the media and assured that the government would review the concerns raised by the demonstrators.
