The NDA government led by N Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh seemed to have borrowed a leaf out of Narayan Murthy’s book and decided to amend the labour laws to extend the maximum working hours for employees from nine to ten.
The decision, apparently taken in a bid to draw investors to the state, is bound to draw flak from labour unions. CPI has already termed the move anti-worker.
AP, primarily an agrarian economy, is desperate to attract investment after the bifurcation unified Andhra Pradesh. The decision to amend labour laws in a recent Cabinet meeting is a step in this direction.
Apart from extending the maximum working hours from nine to ten, the Cabinet has decided to amend other relevant sections under which workers get an hour’s rest after six hours of work instead of five. Overtime will also be extended to 144 hours per quarter, instead of 75 hours. Night shift rules will also be amended to allow more flexibility for women to work during these hours.
Although the government described the move as income generating, many pointed out that this would lead to further exploitation of hapless workers.