Thousands of IT workers gathered in Bangalore on March 9th to protest against what they describe as “exploitative working conditions” in India’s Silicon Valley. Under the slogan “A Healthy Work-Life Balance is Every Employee’s Right”, the technology workers’ demonstration at Freedom Park highlighted growing discontent about working hours that routinely extend far beyond contractual obligations.
The peaceful protest turned confrontational when police attempted to prevent demonstrators from burning effigies of prominent business leaders who have advocated for longer working hours for IT workers in India.
Protesters successfully resisted police intervention and proceeded to burn effigies of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan, both of whom had publicly proposed extending the workweek.
The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), which organised the rally, issued a statement condemning the police action. The union characterised the intervention as revealing “the true class character” of Karnataka’s Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, sending “a clear message that they will not tolerate any protest against their corporate bosses”.
KITU claims the standard eight-to-nine-hour workday is “largely a myth” within the sector. The union says IT workers are frequently required to work evenings and weekends without additional compensation and remain available after hours.
This perpetual on-call culture is taking a heavy toll on the IT workers. According to studies cited by union leaders, more than 70% of IT workers in India are experiencing mental health issues.
The combination of unpaid overtime, weekend work and the expectation of constant availability has created what KITU General Secretary Suhas Adiga called a “toxic work culture” where “employees’ fundamental right to personal life is constantly under threat”.
The union’s demands include enforcing statutory limits on daily working hours, ending the IT sector’s exemption from the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, taking stricter action against labour law violations by corporates, and implementing a “right to disconnect” for workers.
KITU has been pressing these issues for some time.
In March 2024, the union submitted a memorandum to the labour minister alleging widespread non-compliance with overtime regulations.
Despite “multiple meetings and protests” over the past year, union officials say the government has failed to make a “concrete effort” to enforce existing labour laws in the technology sector.
The demonstration marks a significant escalation in KITU’s campaign.
For two months, union representatives have conducted gate meetings and street campaigns throughout Bangalore to build support for the protest.
KITU’s leadership team, including President VJK and Vice President Rashmi Choudhary, addressed the Bengaluru IT workers’ gathering alongside Mr Adiga.
According to Mr Adiga, the KITU has more than 11,000 members across Karnataka, including Bengaluru.
In its statement following the demonstration, KITU specifically praised the “brave” protesters who resisted police attempts to stop the effigy burning. Mr Adiga called on IT workers to “unite in a larger struggle to hold corporations accountable to the law”. He urged the government to enforce existing labour regulations that would ensure healthier working patterns.
Last year, Mr Murthy had stoked a controversy by calling upon Indian youth to work for 70 hours a day. Mr Subrahmanyan had also made similar remarks, showing utmost disdain for the employees’ rights to have a work-life balance.
Their call, which critics claim were attempts to win brownie points with India’s federally ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), polarised social media and sparked new discourses over new-age employees’ rights.
KITU and other unions have been opposing the attempts by corporations to do away with work-life balance in the IT and ITES sectors.
The KITU had opposed the attempt by the Congress party’s government in Karnataka to extend the working hours to 14 hours a day in 2024 for IT workers.
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