Karnataka’s proposal to extend working hours for techies: IT secretary clarifies no change in shift timings

Karnataka IT- BT secretary Ekroop Caur was speaking at Moneycontrol’s Startup Conclave in Bengaluru.

Karnataka government has clarified that there will be no changes to shift timings in the wake of protests from IT employees' Unions about the state's proposal to extend working hours.

Karnataka Information Technology- Biotechnology secretary Ekroop Caur said, “I want to clarify that the proposed changes were based on industry demands. Unfortunately, the communication has not been done well. The shift will continue to be nine hours, with no changes to the shift timings.”

Caur was speaking at Moneycontrol’s Startup Conclave in Bengaluru during a panel discussion titled ‘The state view: How can Karnataka retain its edge as the tech and startup hub?’ moderated by Moneycontrol Deputy Executive Editor Chandra R Srikanth.

Also, read: The real reason why Karnataka government is increasing working hours of IT employees

“We are only allowing some flexibility in terms of overtime, allowing up to 12-hour workdays with a cap on the total number of overtime hours per quarter. However, this does not mean a 14-hour workday. The 14-hour span includes a two-hour break because one cannot work like a machine and needs rest” said Caur.

"The break duration in Karnataka is one hour after every five hours of work, unlike other states (Gujarat, Telangana, and Odisha) or the Government of India’s Model Shops and Establishment Bill, which typically has a half-hour break. This results in a longer spread but does not lead to a 14-hour workday.” she said.

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The IT-BT secretary said: “The proposal was misinterpreted and has snowballed into something different from its original intent. The government had safeguards in place for this amendment. It applies only to specific industries or companies that seek permission from the state Labour Department. This is not a uniform change to the Act.

Caur said the Labour Department will also ensure that any extra working hours granted do not result in employee hardship. “The labour department will go out of its way to ensure this, so I don't think there is anything to worry about. However, there are certain industry concerns, not just GCCs. We operate in a global environment where schedules need to align with those of other countries. For example, we recently experienced an outage with CrowdStrike. In certain instances, flexibility is necessary, and we aimed to incorporate that flexibility without mandating 14-hour workdays,” she added.

Also, read: IT employee union stages protest against increasing working hours in Bengaluru