90-hour-work-week: Following L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s feedback suggesting workers work for 90 hours in per week, CPIML (Liberation) MP Raja Ram Singh wrote to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday, urging him to penalise any violations of legal guidelines concerning working hours in workplaces.
In his letter, Singh additionally referenced a press release by Infosys Co-founder Narayana Murthy advocating for a 70-hour workweek, together with help for such proposals from people like Bhavish Aggarwal of Ola and Sajjan Jindal of Jindal Metal Works.
The 90-hour-work-week debate
Subrahmanyan’s remarks advocating a 90-hour workweek and dealing Sundays sparked outrage on-line. “How lengthy are you able to stare at your spouse,” he’s heard saying in a purported video tackle to workers the place he urged them to spend much less time at residence and extra within the workplace.
CPIML (Liberation) chief Singh urged the Union minister to provoke measures to make sure strict enforcement of legal guidelines governing working hours, reported PTI.
“It is very important word that not solely does working longer hours not guarantee elevated productiveness, however in reality reduces productiveness. One of many severe impacts of lengthy working hours is on the well being of the employees, Singh mentioned.
A number of research have linked lengthy working shifts to a detrimental affect on basic well being, together with issues with cognitive nervousness, musculoskeletal issues, sleep disturbance, and stress,” the Karakat MP mentioned.
“The statements made by the Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and the co-founder of Infosys raises questions as to the practices being adopted within the mentioned corporations and the circumstances of staff working therein,” he mentioned.
The State has a duty to safeguard the well-being of staff and to make sure that any violations of labour legal guidelines are promptly addressed and appropriately penalised, he mentioned.
“It’s subsequently crucial for the federal government to take cognisance of those points and provoke measures to make sure strict enforcement of legal guidelines governing working hours and steps are taken to make sure that staff will not be compelled to work past the legally mandated restrict of 48 hours per week,” he mentioned.
India’s 8-hour-work day
The Lok Sabha MP mentioned India already has one of the crucial “hardworking workforce” on the earth.
“The Worldwide Labour Organisation studies that, in 2023, Indians could have the longest common workweek among the many world’s ten largest economies. Solely Qatar, Congo, Lesotho, Bhutan, Gambia, and the United Arab Emirates have greater common working hours than India, which is available in at quantity seven on the earth,” he mentioned, reported PTI.
Part 51 of the Factories Act mandates that no grownup employee shall be required or allowed to work in a manufacturing unit for greater than forty-eight hours in any week and it mandates that no employee ought to be required or allowed to work in a manufacturing unit for greater than 9 hours in any day, mentioned Raja Ram Singh, reported PTI.