Karnataka IT firms: Karnataka IT firms have proposed to the state government to increase employees’ working hours from 12 to 14 hours, India Today reported.
The daily quoted sources say that the IT firms want their proposal to be incorporated into the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961 amendment. This will legally increase the working hours to 14 or 12 hours and two hours of overtime.
The report said that the state government is also considering amending the Act. Currently, labor laws allow up to 12 hours of work, which is 10 hours and 2 hours of overtime.
What does the new proposal of IT firms say? The new proposal states, “Employees in the IT/ITES/BPO sector may be required or permitted to work for more than 12 hours per day and more than 125 hours in three consecutive months,” reports India Today.
Employee union opposes
The proposal has been strongly opposed by the Karnataka State IT/ITES Employees Union (KITU). In its statement, the union expressed concern, noting that the amendment could enable companies to switch from the existing three-shift system to a two-shift system, potentially leading to one-third of the workforce losing their jobs.
“This amendment will allow companies to adopt 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.”
This also comes at a time when Karnataka is facing a job reservation dispute. The Karnataka government on Wednesday decided to “temporarily put on hold” the controversial job reservation bill aimed at providing quota for Kannadigas in private sector organisations, industries, and enterprises.
The bill, passed by the state Cabinet on Monday, had come under severe criticism from industry stalwarts in the state. After a full day of debate and criticism, the Karnataka Chief Minister’s Office said the job reservation bill will be reviewed and a decision will be taken in the coming days.