The idea of 90-hour workweeks is an absurd one to say the
least as neither it helps in increasing productivity, nor is the best method to
make the nation healthy. Rather the plan, which is being aggressively
propagated by a section of the country’s corporate sector should be rejected
out rightly as it is certain to disturb the existing balance of our economy. It
only exposes the fact that our top corporate honchos are obsessed with profits
only. It also shows how ignorant these so-called wise men are about Indian
realities, who never miss a chance to lecture on India’s prosperity and
well-being. They are not even aware of the simple fact that over 90 per cent of
the country’s workforce, engaged in the unorganised sector, are working for
18-hours a day for ages. If they happen to be truly knowledgeable about India,
they would have surely known that the country’s unorganised sector is one of
the biggest in the world and it is an equal partner in the country’s progress.
So the revolutionary idea of increasing workweeks produced by these so called
successful sons of Mother India will not affect those employed in the
unorganised sector in any manner possible. Thus, it makes us suspicious about
the real motive behind the plan floated by some of our corporate leaders. Is it
really aimed at bringing a new working culture in the country or a ploy to
force the workforce in the organised sector to work for long hours by paying a
nominal amount? Whatever may be the motive, it can be safely concluded that
increasing workweeks will not help the country even to move an inch forward.
A close look in the service rules of the prospering IT
sector in India will reveal that the employees do not enjoy any rights to form
trade unions, which may be considered as a gross violation of human rights.
Instead of providing job security, the said sector is known to be ill-famous
for pink slips which means sacking an employee without prior notice. The
employers may argue that it will help the employees to earn more, but what
remains unanswered is the fact that to increase productivity the companies may
use the overtime system, rather than a fixed 90-hour workweeks. Clearly, the
corporate sector is strongly advocating for such a fixed workweeks just to deny
them getting double of his day’s salary if they work for four hours more after
stipulated eight hours working as per the overtime rule. Actually the corporate
sector is now trying to make it mandatory for the workforce to work for
18-hours daily with a mere increase in their salary. In the process, the
private sector is trying to enforce a new kind of slavery by forcing them to
toil hard more than their capacity, so that they could pocket more profit. The
proposal is in complete violation of existing labour laws and in its part the
government should take strong measures to prevent the entry of medieval service
rule in the country in disguise.
