Bengaluru: A year after Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy suggested youngsters should work 70 hours a week, IT firms in Karnataka have submitted a proposal to the State Government demanding an extension of employee working hours to 14 hours. The State Government is considering amending the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act of 1961.

The IT companies want their proposal included in the amendment, which would legally extend work hours to 14 hours (12 hours + 2 hours overtime) and not exceed 125 hours in three continuous months. The IT sector unions have come out in public in protest against the move, calling it ‘inhuman’ and having implications on 2 million workers in the State.

At present, the labour laws permit up to 12 hours (10 hours + 2 hours overtime) of work time. The Siddaramaiah Government has held an initial meeting on this matter and further decisions will be taken soon.

The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) has, however, opposed the proposal, saying one-third of the workforce will be out of employment as the number of working shifts                                       will be reduced.

The union said that this 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 thrown out of their employment.

Impact on health

The union also pointed out studies on health impact of extended working hours among IT employees. “45 percent of IT employees are facing mental health issues and 55 percent facing physical health impacts. Increasing working hours will further aggravate this situation,” it said.