On 14 working hours proposal, Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge says ‘there is a misconception'

Karnataka IT BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday reacted to the new proposal of 14 working hours for employees, saying, “there is a misconception about the bill”, while expressing his willingness to brief the media about it.

Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, “I am not sure what proposal ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services companies) have given, but there was a bill that was brought in by the Labour Department.”

“We will look at it. There is a misconception about the bill. We will have a discussion and we will be more than happy to brief media about that,” the Karnataka IT minister said.

The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees' Union (KITU) has voiced concerns regarding the Karnataka government's alleged plan to permit IT companies to extend employee working hours from 12 to 14 hours. KITU labelled the proposed 14-hour workday as an "attack on basic workers' rights."

Some media reports indicate that IT companies have suggested an amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act to legally extend work hours to 14 hours, including two hours of overtime, on top of the standard 12 hours.

State Labour Minister Santosh Lad alleged that the IT industry has put pressure on the Karnataka government to pass a new legislation proposing extra working hours for IT employees.

“The Bill has come to us because of pressure from the IT industries; it is not the IT Minister (Priyank Kharge) himself who has come up with this idea. The industrialists are pressuring us for this," Lad said.

Recently, the Karnataka government paused a draft bill that required private companies to reserve positions for local candidates. The bill proposed a 50 per cent reservation for local candidates in management roles and a 70 per cent reservation for non-management roles.

The bill faced significant backlash from investors and trade organizations. In response to the growing criticism, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the bill had been put on hold and would undergo broader consultation.

(With inputs from agencies)