Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has sparked a fresh work-culture debate after telling Dutch business leaders that Indians do not stop work at 5 PM or remind anyone that it is the weekend, drawing sharp criticism from a tech-sector employees’ union and online commentators.
Speaking at the India-Netherlands Business Forum in the Netherlands on 27 October, Goyal pitched Indian workers to European investors as a workforce built for scale and long hours. He said: “Nobody in India will tell you it’s 5 o’clock. And certainly, no Indian will ever remind you it’s the weekend,” while highlighting the country’s willingness to work hard and its potential as a complementary economy for Dutch businesses.
The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) was among the first to issue a formal statement, criticising the minister for presenting long working hours and weekend work as strengths of India’s workforce. The union said the remarks risk normalising exploitative work practices and weakening protections for employees. KITU added that Goyal’s remarks echoed earlier public positions taken by Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and L&T chairman S N Subrahmanyan, and accused the government of prioritising corporate interests over workers’ dignity, health and personal lives.
The remarks drew widespread criticism on social media, with industry commentators and employees calling the framing a glorification of overwork. The latest comment touched a raw nerve among Indian professionals, already navigating uncertainty from AI-led restructuring, layoffs and stagnant wage hikes.
Industrialist Harsh Goenka was among the voices defending the minister’s framing, stating that the lifestyle: “Minister Piyush Goyal may say it jokingly, but there’s a serious point here. In much of Europe, the week’s last meeting is over by Friday 4 pm. When work demands it, Indians will work late into the night and through weekends. It’s a work ethic that gives India an edge.”
However, many other industrialists do not seem to agree with the sentiment, with Ashneer Grover directly replying to Goenka that it is because of the same lifestyle that Europeans have that Indian go there for vacation. He emphasised that the attitude of Indians is “majboori.”
