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Karnataka Drops IT Work Hour Extension and Rejects Centre’s 10-Hour Workday

Labour Minister Santosh Lad said the amendment was withdrawn after six weeks of union protests over work-life balance concerns.

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Labour Minister Santosh Lad’s office also confirmed that the government has decided not to go ahead with the proposed change.
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Overview

  • The state government has officially dropped its plan to amend the 1961 Shops and Commercial Establishments Act to extend daily work limits for IT/ITeS employees from eight to ten hours and permit up to twelve hours with overtime.
  • Additional Labour Commissioner G. Manjunath conveyed the withdrawal to union leaders in a July 29 meeting, and Santosh Lad’s office confirmed that the government would not proceed with the change.
  • The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union organized over six weeks of protests and campaigns, arguing that longer shifts would violate personal rights and risk a two-shift system that could cut jobs.
  • Karnataka has signalled it will oppose New Delhi’s proposal to raise the standard workday to ten hours and increase overtime allowances under the same act.
  • The reversal highlights the state’s challenge of balancing productivity-driven labour reforms with efforts to safeguard employee well-being in India’s tech hub.