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Supriya Sule Reintroduces Right to Disconnect Bill in Parliament

Passage remains uncertain without government support.

Overview

  • The bill would give employees a legal right to ignore after-hours calls, texts, emails and video messages without facing disciplinary action.
  • It requires overtime pay for work beyond official hours, the creation of employee welfare committees, clear remote-work policies, and agreed definitions of emergencies.
  • Repeat non-compliance could draw penalties, with reports noting fines of up to 1% of a company’s total employee wage bill.
  • Sule cites research linking constant availability to telepressure, burnout and sleep loss, alongside projections of sharp growth in mobile-based work.
  • The proposal revives a 2019 effort and has reignited discussion of long-hours cultures in IT, finance, consulting and outsourcing, but private member bills rarely become law and the government has not indicated support.