Rethink on rules for new labour codes

As the government finalises the rules for the new labour codes, the Labour Ministry is now considering giving flexibility to companies to have four working days instead of five or six. This implies that there will be longer working hours if the working days are reduced. For instance, a four working day week will have to meet the 48-hour weekly work hours, resulting in daily shifts of 12 hours, which will correspondingly reduce if there is five-day or six-day working week.

The proposed labour code by Labour Ministry, Govt. of India to have 48-hour work structure is nothing but an act of exploitation. This new law clearly indicates an excessive workload i.e., additionally 3-hours. Ideally, any MNC have 9-hours a day for a period of 5-days i.e., 9 Hours *5 Days = 45 Hours a Week. But this new proposed law is having additional 3-hours that too by giving a discretion to the employer, which is nothing but giving an free hand to exploit and most of them take it as a mere advantage of it.

Although it is a choice of employee whether to work in 4-day time frame or not, but by bringing this 4 days 48 hours work plan is absolutely unacceptable. As far IT Industry is concerned this will have lots of impact on mental health, fitness, physical fitness.

I would like to appeal to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India to rethink its decision in implementing this newly outlined rules and rather follow the existing plan of 5 days a week and 9 hours a day and felicitate instruct the organisations to let their employees work 3/4 days a week at office and 1/2 days at home, which will burden the work pressure, and helps us to focus on work and maintain a proper work-life balance.

— Shashidhar Vuppala, Hyderabad