Bengaluru IT sector to face 14-hour work day? Employees' Union expresses opposition
New Delhi: The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) has claimed that the state government is planning to increase the working hours of IT staff to 14 hours a day, sparking outrage among employees.
According to KITU, the proposal to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act was presented in a meeting called by the labour department with various stakeholders in the industry.
The union has expressed strong opposition to the proposed amendment, stating that it would have a significant impact on the health and well-being of IT employees. Citing studies, KITU said that extended working hours could lead to a higher risk of death by stroke and ischemic heart disease.
The union has urged the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led government to rethink the proposal, warning that any attempt to implement it would be met with resistance from the 20 lakh employees working in the IT/ITeS sector in Karnataka.
Earlier, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy had sparked a debate by suggesting that India's work culture needs to change and that youngsters should be prepared to work for 70 hours a week.
The development comes amid controversy over a bill that required private sector firms in Karnataka to prioritize locals for 70 per cent of non-management roles and 50 per cent of management-level jobs. The bill was paused after outrage followed the announcement.
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We are together at home: Sharad Pawar on Ajit Pawar
Mumbai (PTI): Former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Monday said that he and nephew Ajit Pawar are together as a family, but made it clear that the latter was heading a different political party.
“Gharat tari ekatrach ahet (we are together at home least),” the veteran politician said at a press conference at Chiplun in coastal Konkan region.
He was responding to a query about the demand from “various quarters in the state” that the uncle-nephew duo should come together once again.
In July last year, Ajit Pawar broke away from his uncle to join the Eknath Shinde-led government in the state as deputy chief minister. Of late, there has been speculation over his continuation in the ruling alliance.
Asked about Ajit Pawar’s recent remarks the decision to make his wife Sunetra Pawar contest the Lok Sabha polls against Supriya Sule in Baramati was a mistake, the veteran politician said, “He is in a different party. Why should we comment on decisions taken by another party?”
Asked if the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of NCP (SP), Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) had decided its chef ministerial face, Pawar said, “I don’t think that it is an urgent issue at the moment”.
When elections were held after the Emergency, Morarji Desai’s name as PM candidate was not disclosed before polling, he added.
“Our (MVA) attempt is to give a progressive alternative in Maharashtra with help of other parties like Samajwadi Party and Peasants and Workers Party,” he said.
“Our observation is that the people of Maharashtra have made up their mind to give us (MVA) a chance in the ensuing elections,” he said.
Asked about Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu’s claim that sub-standard ghee with 'animal fat' was used to make prasad laddoos at Tirupati temple during Jaganmohan Reddy's tenure as CM, Pawar said, “If anything was mixed, it is very wrong and action should be taken against those involved”.
