The Karantaka state government has rejected the Centre’s proposal to amend the Karnataka Shops and Establishments Act of 1961, which would increase the daily working hours from 9 to 10, while maintaining the weekly cap at 48 hours.
The state government insisted that the labour subject falls under the Concurrent List, and as such, granting Karnataka equal policy-making authority and competence. It also reasoned that Karnataka’s current labour framework already includes provisions for overtime work beyond the standard 9 hours daily and 48 hours weekly.
Based on these reasons, the Karnataka government stated that the changes proposed by the Centre will have no discernible benefit to employees. The government is currently awaiting a formal decision from the Chief Minister and the Cabinet. Labour commissioner HN Gopalkrishna told the Times of India that a final report on the issue is still pending review with the labour minister.
“In a city like Bangalore, on average, you need 2 hours to commute, and if they spend 10 hours on the floor, it’s 12 hours in a day,” Lad stated. “I don’t see this benefiting the employees,” Karnataka’s Labour Minister, Santhosh Lad, stated. He added that the idea was not received positively by HR professionals during a recent congregation.
The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) has celebrated this move, highlighting how they have been protesting the amendment for a long time.
“Over the past one-and-a-half months, the KITU has organised widespread protests and continuous campaigns against the proposed Bill — in IT parks, on the streets, and in front of IT companies — drawing massive participation from employees. This relentless struggle compelled the Karnataka government to retreat from its attempt to extend working hours in the sector. In a meeting with the KITU office-bearers, Labour Department officials communicated the decision to scrap the proposed amendment,” said KITU general secretary Suhas Adiga.