As the move 14-hour work day has ignited a fierce debate across Karnataka's thriving IT sector, Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), representing thousands of workers in Karnataka's IT sector, has launched a mass email campaign to vehemently oppose the proposed extension. The union has called upon all IT/ITES/BPO employees, as well as their families, relatives, and friends, to join the campaign and express their disapproval.
Earlier, the proposed 'Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2024' sought to standardise a 14-hour workday, removing the current limit of 10 hours per day, including overtime. This proposal has quickly drawn the ire of many within the industry prompting a swift and organised response from the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU).
The union argued that the proposed change would severely impact the work-life balance and well-being of employees, leading to detrimental effects on both their personal and professional lives.
KITU has made the process of participating in the campaign straightforward. They urged individuals to send an email to Chief Minister (cm.kar@nic.in), Labour Minister (ministerforlabour75@gmail.com), and KITU (noto14hrworkingday@gmail.com) using the subject line ‘I oppose the Increase in Working Hours.’ They also said that the mail should use the subject line ‘I oppose the Increase in Working Hours’ to express their views against the proposed amendment.
Meanwhile, employees and industry experts have voiced significant concerns about the practicalities and fairness of such an extension in working hours. However, Karnataka Minister for Labour Santosh Lad stated that the government was facing pressure from the IT industry to introduce legislation for extending work hours for tech employees. He clarified to reporters at Vidhana Soudha that the bill was a result of demands from the IT sector and not an initiative by IT Minister Priyank Kharge.