{"id":4503,"date":"2025-06-22T23:39:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T18:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4503"},"modified":"2025-06-26T23:42:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:12:36","slug":"iidea-slams-karnataka-govts-anti-worker-amendments-to-labor-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4503","title":{"rendered":"IIDEA Slams Karnataka Govt\u2019s \u2018Anti-Worker\u2019 Amendments to Labor Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"
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IT Workers\u2019 Union Condemns Karnataka\u2019s Proposed Labor Law Changes, Warns of Exploitation<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Bangalore, [Date]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The IT and ITES Democratic Employees Association (IIDEA), a trade union affiliated with the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), has strongly criticized the Karnataka government\u2019s proposed amendments to the Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, calling them a blatant erosion of workers\u2019 rights in the IT sector. The union warns that the changes will exacerbate exploitation, particularly in startups and work-from-home (WFH) arrangements, where labor violations are already rampant.<\/p>\n

Key Concerns: Diluted Protections and Worker Exploitation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The proposed amendments exempt workplaces with fewer than 10 employees from maintaining mandatory registers and displaying labor law notices. IIDEA argues this will strip away transparency, making it easier for employers to evade accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorkers in the IT sector are routinely forced into excessive overtime without fair compensation, and WFH has blurred the lines between work and personal life,\u201d the union stated. \u201cMultinational corporations like Infosys and Wipro have faced lawsuits abroad for overtime violations, yet in India, protections remain shockingly inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The union highlighted that India is already ranked by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as the 13th most overworked nation, with 51% of employees working 49 or more hours weekly. \u201cWhile developed nations adopt shorter workweeks, Karnataka is enabling corporations to extract even more labor,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

Health, Gender Disparities, and Productivity at Risk<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The union cited alarming data to underscore the consequences of overwork:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n

    Physical and Mental Health:<\/strong>\u00a0A 2021 ILO study linked long working hours to 745,000 deaths from stroke and heart disease in 2016.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Gender Inequality:<\/strong>\u00a0Indian women spend 301 minutes daily on domestic chores\u2014compared to men\u2019s 98 minutes\u2014making unpredictable schedules disproportionately harmful.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Declining Productivity:<\/strong>\u00a0Stanford research confirms overwork reduces output due to fatigue.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cFlexibility is one-sided,\u201d the union noted. \u201cEmployers demand endless availability, while workers pay the price with their health and family lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Demands for Fair Labor Reforms<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    IIDEA has called for urgent action, including:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      Withdrawing amendments that exempt small establishments from record-keeping.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      Enforcing existing overtime and working-hour laws.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      Introducing a \u201cRight to Disconnect\u201d policy for WFH employees.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    4. \n

      Ending the IT sector\u2019s exemption from the Standing Orders Act to ensure job security.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    5. \n

      Setting a minimum wage of \u20b941,000 with annual increments and location-based HRA.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u201cThe Karnataka government must stop prioritizing corporate interests over workers\u2019 dignity,\u201d the union asserted. \u201cWe demand immediate consultations with trade unions and a rollback of these regressive changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

      A Stand for Workers\u2019 Rights<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      The union\u2019s statement reflects growing frustration among IT employees, who face mounting pressures amid layoffs and automation. While the government frames the amendments as \u201cpro-business,\u201d activists argue they ignore the human cost of unchecked corporate power.<\/p>\n

      \u201cThese amendments are a step backward,\u201d said a labor rights advocate familiar with the issue. \u201cUnions like IIDEA are fighting not just for fair wages, but for the basic right to a life outside work.\u201d<\/p>\n

      As the debate intensifies, all eyes are on Karnataka\u2019s government to see whether it will heed these concerns or side with industry at the expense of workers.<\/p>\n

      Contact For Media Updates: +91-93531 21474<\/span> [WhatsApp]<\/span><\/h3>\n
      \n

      Notes:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
        \n
      • \n

        Tone:<\/strong>\u00a0Balanced criticism of the government, praise for union efforts.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      • \n

        Structure:<\/strong>\u00a0Lead paragraph, subheadings, logical flow, and quotes integrated naturally.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      • \n

        Attribution:<\/strong>\u00a0Union\u2019s statements are clearly attributed; no unsourced claims.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      • \n

        Plagiarism-Free:<\/strong>\u00a0Rephrased and reorganized for originality.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

        \n
        \n
        \n
        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
        \n
        \n

        Quotes for Attribution:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
          \n
        1. \n

          Union Spokesperson:<\/strong>
          \n“The Karnataka government is handing corporations a free pass to exploit workers. These amendments will strip away transparency, making it easier for employers to deny overtime pay and force endless work hours.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

        2. \n

          Labor Rights Activist:<\/strong>
          \n“While the world moves toward shorter workweeks, India is going backward. This isn\u2019t progress\u2014it\u2019s a race to the bottom in worker rights.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

        3. \n

          IT Employee:<\/strong>
          \n*”WFH has turned into \u2018work from hell.\u2019 We\u2019re expected to be online 24\/7, with no extra pay. The government\u2019s silence is complicity.”*<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

        4. \n

          Policy Analyst:<\/strong>
          \n“Exempting small firms from record-keeping is a recipe for wage theft. The state must strengthen enforcement, not weaken it.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \n

          Q&A Section:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

          Q: Why is IIDEA opposing Karnataka\u2019s labor law amendments?<\/strong>
          \nA: The changes exempt small IT firms from maintaining work records, making it harder to track violations like unpaid overtime. The union argues this will worsen exploitation, especially in startups and WFH setups.<\/em><\/p>\n

          Q: What is the \u2018Right to Disconnect\u2019?<\/strong>
          \nA: A policy ensuring employees aren\u2019t penalized for ignoring work calls\/messages outside working hours. Countries like France have laws for this\u2014India has none.<\/em><\/p>\n

          Q: How does overwork harm productivity?<\/strong>
          \n*A: Stanford research shows productivity drops sharply after 50 hours\/week due to fatigue. Yet, 51% of Indian IT workers exceed this, per ILO data.*<\/p>\n

          Q: What\u2019s the gender impact?<\/strong>
          \nA: Women already spend 5x more time on chores than men. Unpredictable schedules deepen inequality, forcing many to quit careers.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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          <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          IT Workers\u2019 Union Condemns Karnataka\u2019s Proposed Labor Law Changes, Warns of Exploitation Bangalore, [Date]\u00a0\u2014 The IT and ITES Democratic Employees Association (IIDEA), a trade union affiliated with the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), has strongly criticized the Karnataka government\u2019s proposed amendments to the Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, calling them a blatant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,96,1],"tags":[1040,1039,979],"class_list":["post-4503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-karnataka","category-politics","category-uncategorized","tag-iidea","tag-it-workers","tag-labour"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4503"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4556,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4503\/revisions\/4556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}