Cries of “Inquilab Zindabad” and “we are workers, not your slaves” rang through a protest against the proposed amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, organised by the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Saturday, August 3. The amendment is set to increase the number of working hours from the existing 10 hours per day (including overtime), to 14 hours (including overtime).
VJK Nair, the president of KITU, presented a memorandum to the Additional Labour Commissioner, G Manjunath. Condemning the “hire and fire” policy practised by employers in the industry, Nair called for assuring compensation for workers who have been laid off. The Additional Labour Commissioner, while acknowledging the high levels of emotional and physical stress experienced by IT sector workers, said this has necessitated more counselling and psychiatric consultations in Bengaluru. Emphasising the need for a healthy work-life balance, he said the issue will be brought to the notice of the government.
“There are 10 lakh workers in Bengaluru, I can only see 500 here. Their voices have to be stronger. They have to be heard,” he said.
Suhas Adiga, general secretary of KITU, said IT employees in Bengaluru are prepared to push back against this law. “We have gathered here, we will resist, and we will show them that the working class of Karnataka cannot be messed with,” he said.
Rashmi Choudary, vice president of KITU, spoke about the potentially disastrous effects of the proposed amendment and highlighted its impact on the women workforce. Speaking to TNM, she said the increase in working hours will be the death of their careers. “If we are working for 14 hours and travelling for two or three hours, there is no time for us to upskill and prepare for promotions. They will then fire us and claim that it was because we did not upskill, when in reality they are responsible for this,” she said.
“I am a single mother, my 9-year-old son suffers from chronic diseases. For that, I took leaves. My company fired me on the basis of my leaves and asked me to put down my papers,” said a worker from West Bengal, who has approached KITU for help. “We are moving the Labour Commissioner’s office. I need justice. My family needs justice,” said the woman, who did not want to be identified. Several incidents of women IT workers being denied maternity leave and pregnant workers being laid off had emerged recently.
Representatives of the Union of IT and ITES Employees (UNITE), an active union working for the welfare of workers in the industry in Tamil Nadu, who attended the protest assured that similar unions from other states stand with KITU in their fight against the proposal.
Extending working hours will further impact the health of IT workers, KITU representatives said, citing a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The report said that “working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week.”
The proposed amendment has faced strong opposition from tech workers and workers’ unions led by KITU across Bengaluru over the past two weeks, in the form of gate meetings and street campaigns.