The Citu-affiliated Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (Kitu) has launched an email campaign demanding that the state government scrap its draft bill proposing an increase in daily work hours to 14, including overtime.

The most vocal trade union of the tech sector resorted to the campaign at a time the state government is yet to confirm if the draft amendment to The Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act has been binned or not.

The email is addressed to chief minister Siddaramaiah with a copy to the campaign
ID noto14hrworkingday.gmail.com.

“We will not rest until the government scraps the draft bill. If not, the government can revive it after putting it on hold for some time,” Suhas Adiga, general secretary of Kitu, told The Telegraph on Wednesday.

The draft amendment, specific to the IT and IT Enabled Services sector, recommends: “An employee working in the IT/ ITeS/BPO sector may be required or allowed to work for more than 12 hours in a day and not exceeding 125 (extra) hours in three continuous months.”

If enacted, the amended law would empower employers to increase work hours from the existing 9 to 12. While the existing overtime limit is one hour a day, the
amended law would make it two hours a day, thereby increasing the daily shift to
14 hours.

“We have been hearing that the government is reconsidering the proposal.
But we will not stop our protest and campaign against it until we get an official confirmation that the draft amendment has been scrapped,” Adiga said.