The Labour Department circulated a draft amendment among stakeholders this week, seeking feedback on a proposal to extend working hours to 10 per day and 48 per week.
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MURALI KUMAR K
After last year’s proposal to extend work days to 14 hours, the Karnataka government has once again moved to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1961 — this time to increase daily working hours from nine to 10, and total permissible hours including overtime to 12.
The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) has opposed the move, calling it a threat to workers’ right to personal life and warning that it could pave the way for a two-shift system, potentially displacing up to one-third of the workforce.
The Labour Department circulated a draft amendment among stakeholders this week, seeking feedback on a proposal to extend working hours to 10 per day and 48 per week. In its draft, the Karnataka government cites directions from the Union government urging all States to consider revising working hour limits through legislative or regulatory changes. It also noted that similar amendments have been implemented in BJP-ruled States like Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Workers’ rights
KITU noted that the Labour Secretary and other officials from the Department of Labour attended the meeting, with Union General Secretary Comrade Suhas Adiga, President VJK and Secretary Lenil Babu representing the employees in IT/ITeS sector, and Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees.
“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 of work per day, including overtime. This amendment will allow the companies to go for a two-shift system instead of the current three-shift system and one-third of the workforce will be thrown out from their employment,” KITU said in a release.
It alleged that with this amendment, the Karnataka Government is unwilling to recognise workers as human beings who require personal and social lives to survive, and is instead viewing them as machines to increase the profits of the corporations it serves.
IT and start-ups
Aditya Narayan Mishra – MD and CEO of CIEL HR – added that the proposed increase in work hour caps will likely negatively impact the IT and start-up sectors, where employees do not typically work by the clock.
“If companies start enforcing punch-in and punch-out systems to comply with the new limits, it could lead to dissatisfaction, especially among Gen Z talent, who value outcome-driven work over fixed schedules. Ironically, many of these professionals already put in long hours when needed, but doing so voluntarily feels very different from being mandated. While the new rule might support traditional industries where overtime is paid and compensatory offs are given, in the IT space, it risks reducing engagement and could lead to higher attrition if not handled sensitively,” he explained.
“The renewed push to extend working hours reflects the government’s continued efforts to serve corporate interests over workers’ rights. KITU urges the government to reconsider and warns that any attempt to proceed with the amendment will be seen as a direct challenge to the 20 lakh employees working in the IT/ITeS sector in Karnataka,” the union said.
Published on June 18, 2025
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