Karnataka’s 14-Hour Workday Proposal: KITU’s Suhas Adiga Slams Move, Urges IT Workers to Resist

3 months ago

Suhas Adiga, General Secretary of the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), criticises the proposed amendment to extend the workday to 14 hours in the IT/ITES/BPO sector as the biggest anti-worker move in history. Adiga highlights the detrimental impact on employees' health and personal lives and urges IT workers to unite and oppose this amendment. KITU plans to pursue legal avenues, mobilise employees, and raise awareness to safeguard workers' rights.

#Karnataka #ITworkers #WorkdayProposal #14HourWorkday #KITU #SuhasAdiga #LaborRights #WorkerProtection #ITsector #EmployeeHealth #CorporateGreed #FairWorkHours #WorkerUnity #StandTogether #FightForRights

Transcript

00:00So, on 19th of July, this Friday, so the Karnataka Labour Minister had called for a meeting where

00:07this one the like meeting the law amendment for the law was presented.

00:15So, the amendment for industry like the Shop and Commercial Establishment Act where amendment

00:22says that like this one the employers are working IT, BPO and ITS sectors can be made

00:29to work more than 12 hours and effectively up to 14 hours a day.

00:33So, this is the without any limit, so per day limit, so this is what it was proposed

00:39over there.

00:40So, effectively 12 hours plus 125 hours overtime per quarter, so that effectively leads up

00:46to 14 hours a day without any limit for that day.

00:48So, this is the status what the like amendment, proposed amendment was presented in the meeting.

00:56So, regarding that we on the meeting itself we posed opposition, suggesting quite number

01:02of the facts.

01:03So, one thing is in the current scenario itself, IT employers are working in India are already

01:09facing the this one like mental pressure or physical issues based on the current working

01:15scenario.

01:16So, to quote some of the reports as per the KCCI report present like which is publicly

01:23accessible 45 percent of the IT employees who are working in India are facing mental

01:28health issues such as depression.

01:30And one more thing is 55 percent of the employees who are working in IT sector have physical

01:35health impacts like neck pain, back pain and other issues.

01:40So, there are one more study which suggests the like extending the working hours what

01:45is the consequence that has on the employees life.

01:47So, as per the study from WHO and ILO combined, so as per the study employee who works in

01:54more than 55 hours in a week, so they it seems to have been higher risk of death due to various

02:00things.

02:01One is due to stroke, higher risk of death due to stroke is increased by 35 percent for

02:06the employees who are working more than 55 hours a week.

02:10And 17 percent higher risk of death due to heart disease, insemic heart disease is observed

02:16in employees who are working more than 55 hours a week.

02:20So, currently as per the new trend, so employee might have to effectively work up to 84 hours

02:26a week or more.

02:27So, we can only imagine what is the health or consequences what we are seeing.

02:32So, it is well established across the world that this one increase in the working hours

02:37reduces the productivity of the work.

02:40So, like many countries are taking up the step to control the working hours, so that

02:46to ensure the productivity.

02:47So, one of such acts are like right to disconnect which has been like a trend in the world.

02:53So, many countries I will note it down like this one Australia, Kenya and even European

02:58countries have currently taken up the right to disconnect issue.

03:02So, currently as what we can see, so when the world is moving towards this one more

03:07productivity lesser work hours trend and to limit the this one like access employer has

03:12or the pressure employer can build on the employees when they need to like when they

03:17can pressurize employees to work as per the current scenario.

03:21So, whenever this one company like wants employee to work they can pressurize them and they

03:26can bring out from the this one their personal life or their personal day out as well.

03:31So, as per the KCCI study itself as per the current scenario, so what we observe is that

03:36like 75 percent of the employees who are working in the IT sector have this one confirmed that

03:42they were pulled out of their personal priorities, personal life like anything like kids birthdays

03:48or this one wedding anniversary or any other pre-planned functions which they planned on

03:54their personal time.

03:55So, that they can come back and this one the support as is the company this one as per

04:00the orders of their managers or the company.

04:03So, this is the scenario what is there.

04:05So, we as a union we strictly fight against that and we will take up all the means necessary

04:12to do so.

04:17So regarding that we are taking up quite many this one campaigns, we are going to streets

04:22talking to people, we have like quite number of units out there, so all units we are actively

04:27participating in street campaign as well as gate campaigns as well.

04:31So, we are talking to the people, we are this one letting them know what is the seriousness

04:35of the issue and we are this one bringing them in the fight as well.

04:39So, this is like what other issues we take up is we are currently like the recent as

04:45per recent trends the this one the labour minister has called for public discussion

04:50on the same.

04:51So, we as a union we are calling all the IT employees and their like loved ones or family

04:57members or even the colleague, even the friends who will be impacted by such a decision.

05:02So, that they can express the this express their discontent or express the opposition

05:06to the proposed amendment by sending the mail.

05:10So, we are calling for mass mail campaigns, we are calling we are this one requesting

05:15everyone to this one put out their opinions through mail or like we have taken it up already.

05:22So, other than that we are planning for a massive protest on August 3rd on a Saturday

05:27in front of like in front of labour minister where we will submit the memorandum.

05:33So, we are gathering together, we are collectively going and giving the memorandum against the

05:37proposed amendment to the labour department.

05:44So, we are hoping to stop any trend.

05:47So, we need to we need to ensure that we can this one stop scrap the scrap like government

05:53can scrap the amendment as soon as possible we can pressurize on that.

05:57So, we can we also hope for this one better work life balance from here.

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Karnataka’s 14-Hour Workday Proposal: KITU’s Suhas Adiga Slams Move, Urges IT Workers to Resist

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