In what has riled the trade unions in Karnataka, the State government has proposed to bring an amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1961, to increase the daily working hours to 10 from the current nine hours, besides allowing more overtime hours.
The proposed amendment, circulated by the Labour Department among the stakeholders to elicit their response, allows work hours to be increased to 10 a day and 48 a week. The proposal caps the total number of hours of work, including overtime, to 12 hours a day — up from the present 10 hours a day.
Union govt.’s direction
The Karnataka government, in its draft amendment, has cited the Union government’s directions to all States to consider amending the working hour limits through legislative or regulatory changes appropriately. The Centre has also pointed out that similar amendment has been brought in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand — all BJP-governed State.
Among other amendments, there is a proposal to increase the total number of overtime hours per employee to 144 hours in a period of three continuous months from the present 50 hours.
