IT employees raise red flag, Karnataka's labour department says no change in weekly hours
Bengaluru: Even as the Karnataka labour department insists that proposed amendments to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act-1961 will not breach the 48-hour weekly cap, the state's tech workforce remains unconvinced.
The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), which led a protest in Bengaluru, argued that the proposed amendments would institutionalise excessive workloads. The department, however, claims the changes are intended to provide "flexibility" to employers and employees, allowing them to complete their weekly quota over fewer days.
At the centre of the controversy is the department's plan to increase daily working hours from 9 to 10, and the maximum permissible overtime from 50 to 144 hours per quarter.
This could allow for up to 12-hour workdays, including overtime.
Citing long-standing concerns over unpaid overtime and chronic overwork, many fear the draft amendments will legalise exploitative practices that have become rampant in the IT and ITeS sector.
"Even if you cap the week at 48 hours, that still averages to about 9.6 hours over five days. Add the legalised overtime — about 2.5 hours per day — and we're back to 12-hour shifts.
And overtime compensation? It doesn't exist in practice," an IT employee said.
Employees told TOI that existing loopholes enable companies to demand long hours without paying for them. The fear now is that the amendments will provide a legal cover for what is currently an unspoken but widely followed practice.
KITU general secretary Suhas Adiga, who attended a recent stakeholders' meeting organised by the department, pointed out lack of transparency.
"We asked for data on how many employees are working overtime and what they're paid. The minister admitted that not a single company responded. There's no data. No accountability," he said.
KITU's official stance is that the move will exacerbate health risks, erode work-life balance, and push employees further into burnout.
Chitra Banu, KITU member, was unequivocal in her stance. "It won't get implemented; we won't let it happen."
Not everyone in the industry opposes the move. Adithya M, who works at a Bengaluru-based startup, said: "I've been working 10–12 hour days anyway. My body and mind are used to it. This isn't a big deal for startup folks."
According to union leaders, this is precisely the problem — the new norms are merely catching up with exploitative realities instead of challenging them. "Now that 144 hours of overtime per quarter is legal, we're just putting a rubber stamp on what's been happening illegally," KITU secretary Sooraj Nidiyanga said.
The labour department maintains that the changes are aligned with International Labour Organisation (ILO) norms and are part of broader efforts to modernise labour law. But the discontent from the ground tells another story — one of disconnect between legislative intent and lived experience. For now, the IT sector's fears remain unresolved, with trust in short supply and clarity even shorter.
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