Bengaluru IT Workers Gather As Karnataka IT Union Calls For Protest Demanding Healthy Work-Life

Over 100 techies gathered at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Sunday as the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) called a protest demanding a healthy work-life balance in the IT sector. 

Though the turnout was not impressive, union leaders criticised industry giants for exploiting workers and urged government intervention to impose labour laws on working hours and overtime pay.

Expressing disappointment over the turnout, KITU advisor Vasanthraj said that, given Bengaluru's status as a tech hub, at least 6,000 people should have participated to make their collective voice heard.

KITU advisor Vasanthraj said, "The hard reality is that IT industry captains are minting profits through the dollar exchange rate but end up squeezing workers. In the last three decades, the IT industry should have become an IT product giant. But despite moving up a few steps in the value chain, it remains a service industry.”

KITU member Ram shared that the protest was organised to counter recent remarks by Infosys Chairman Emeritus Narayana Murthy and L&T Chairman and Managing Director S N Subrahmanyan, who have held workers for the sector's failure to move up the value chain despite making them overwork.

What are the demands of KITU?

The Union has put forward several key demands, including the enforcement of daily working hour limits to prevent burnout, rescinding the IT sector’s exemption from the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, taking appropriate measures against labour law violations in IT/ITeS companies, and introducing the Right to Disconnect—allowing employees to decline after-hours communication without facing consequences.

Last year, IT firms in Bengaluru reportedly persuaded the state government to extend the maximum daily working hours to 14 hours. 

Discussions about modifying the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act of 1961 were done to accommodate this request.

However, it was hit by public backlash, and so the plan had to be dropped.

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