The Karnataka Government has proposed a major change to the maximum number of working hours in a day.
The proposed amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, will extend the legal number of working hours in a day to 10 from nine. Other changes within the proposal include raising overtime limits, along with simplifying record-keeping and compliance for small businesses.
This comes shortly after the Andhra Pradesh Government announced its own plan to increase daily working hours to 10. Other states that have followed this route include Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
As per the proposed changes, while the legal working hours in a day will be raised to 10, working hours in a week will stay at 48. The amendment will also cap total working hours in a day 12, including overtime. While the current overtime limit for a quarter within Karnataka is 50 hours, the amendment will increase it to 144 hours.
Businesses with fewer than 10 employees will be exempt from the restrictions of the Act. The amendment also aims to streamline record maintenance and certifications, especially for small and medium-sized establishments.
As per the sources, the Karnataka Government has claimed that the changes are being done in accordance with the existing working patterns and are meant to ease business operations. However, it has also drawn criticism from labour unions and civil society groups who believe that the new changes will encourage worker exploitation.
Some have criticised the amendment for being vague with details, stating that this may encourage “wage theft, particularly in unregulated segments.” Concerns regarding practicality of the effective implementation of the amendment have also become promiment.