Karnataka Govt Proposes 12-Hour Workdays, Faces Strong Opposition From IT Employee Union
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The proposal to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act to facilitate 12-hour working day has been presented in a labour department meeting on June 18.
The Karnataka government has proposed to increase daily working hours from nine to 10 hours in the state, and to allow up to 12 hours of work a day, by amending the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961. However, the Karnataka State IT/ ITes Employees Union (KITU) on Wednesday opposed the proposal and called upon 'the entire working class to come in resistance".
The proposal, if approved, would also raise the quarterly overtime limit from 50 to 144 hours, according to The Hindu.
The development comes days after the Andhra Pradesh government earlier this month made a similar proposal to increase work hours per day from nine to 10 hours. The proposal also faced massive opposition.
KITU calls upon the entire working class to come in resistance against the Karnataka Government move to increase the working hours in IT/ITES/BPO sector to 12 hours a day #12hrWorkDay pic.twitter.com/0lAu4xKNUs — Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (@kitu_hq) June 18, 2025
The draft amendments, circulated by Karnataka's labour department to stakeholders, reportedly were aimed at aligning state regulations with directions from the Union government. It had asked all states to consider increasing working hour limits.
The labour department defended these proposals saying that the Union government has already 'directed" states to amend working hours limits. The department also said similar decision has been taken by Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand also, according to Deccan Herald.
Bengaluru, the country's biggest IT hub falls in Karnataka. So, the Karnataka State IT/ ITeS Employees Union on Wednesday strongly opposed the proposal and called upon 'the entire working class to come in resistance against the Karnataka government move to increase the working hours in IT/ITES/BPO sector to 12 hours a day."
In a statement, the KITU said, 'The proposed amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act attempts to normalise a 12-hour work day. The existing Act only allows a maximum of 10 hours work per day, including overtime."
It said the amendment will allow the companies to go for a two-shift system instead of the currently existing three shift system, and one third of the workforce will be through out from their employment.
The KITU said, 'The proposal to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act to facilitate 12-hour working day is presented in a meeting called by the labour department on June 18, with various stakeholders in the industry."
The labour secretary and other officials from the Department of Labour attended the meeting, it said.
'KITU representatives strongly raised our opposition to the proposed amendment, which poses an attack on the basic right of any worker to have a personal life," the state IT employees' body said.
The Working Hour Debate: Economic Survey, N R Narayana Murthy, L&T Chief
Importantly, the pre-Budget Economic Survey 2025 cited studies to state that spending over 60 hours a week on work could have adverse health effects. The survey noted that spending long hours at one's desk is detrimental to mental well-being, and individuals who spend 12 or more hours (per day) at a desk have distressed or struggling levels of mental well-being.
The debate on working hours has been going on the for the past few months after Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's suggestion of a 70-hour workweek.
Larsen & Toubro Ltd Chairman and Managing Director S N Subrahmanyan also sparked off a raging debate on social media when he said employees should work 90-hour a week, including on Sundays rather than sit at home.
However, Subrahmanyan drew criticism from some peers in the business community. RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka said longer working hours was a recipe for burnout and not success.
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra also asserted that the focus should be on the quality of work and productivity rather than the amount of time spent working.
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New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
June 18, 2025, 16:04 IST
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