West Bengal: AIITEU, CITU Condemn Extension of IT Sector Working Hours

New Delhi: The All-India IT and ITeS Employees Union (AIITEU) in West Bengal has condemned the increase in working hours for employees in the tech sector, especially in West Bengal.

In a press statement, the AIITEU and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), noted that the Bengal government’s Department of Information Technology & Electronics, had officially notified that, effective July 1, 2024, normal working hours for IT companies in the state shall not exceed nine hours, with a weekly cap of 48 hours.

“This policy was introduced after industry consultation, purportedly to align with demands for greater flexibility and competitiveness,” it said adding that “despite this regulatory cap, there is alarming evidence-via employee testimonials and social media reports-that certain companies, notably Genpact, have unilaterally imposed a 10-hour workday for their Indian operations, exceeding the state-mandated daily maximum.”

The unions have urged all employees to join them in demanding a 35-hour workweek and the recognition of the right to disconnect as a basic right.

Read the full release below:

AIITEU WB and CITU Condemns Extension of IT Sector Working Hours and Demands Restoration of Employee Rights

The All-India IT and ITES Employees Union (AIITEU) WB, CITU expresses grave concern and strong opposition to the recent developments concerning working hours in the Indian IT sector, particularly in light of the new policies implemented by both private corporations and state governments.

Background and Recent Developments

- The Government of West Bengal, through its department of Information Technology & Electronics, has officially notified that, effective July 1, 2024, normal working hours for IT companies in the state shall not exceed 9 hours per day, with a weekly cap of 48 hours. This policy was introduced after industry consultation, purportedly to align with demands for greater flexibility and competitiveness.

- Despite this regulatory cap, there is alarming evidence-via employee testimonials and social media reports-that certain companies, notably Genpact, have unilaterally imposed a 10-hour workday for their Indian operations, exceeding the state-mandated daily maximum. Employees have reported this change as detrimental to work-life balance and not accompanied by a proportional increase in compensation.

- Reviews and feedback from Genpact employees corroborate these claims, with multiple sources highlighting increased work hours, poor work-life balance, and inadequate compensation adjustments.

Though there is no official confirmation from Genpact's official website or recent financial reports declaring a mandatory 10-hour workday policy as of May 18, 2025 but some social media posts claims that the Genpact HR has started communicating their employees about a 10 hours/ day Work shift.

Social Media Sources of the News

1. X Post Confirmation: The earlier X post from May 14, 2025, by @imaskingnation remains the primary source mentioning a new Genpact policy requiring 10-hour workdays (9 hours active work plus a lunch break) with a 5% variable pay increase (e.g., ₹250/month for ₹5000 variable pay). This post tags UN Human Rights, Labour Ministry, and others, suggesting employee dissatisfaction, but no official response from Genpact or the tagged entities was found.

2. Employee Reviews (AmbitionBox): Recent reviews on AmbitionBox (updated March 30, 2025) explicitly mention a shift to 10-hour workdays in some Genpact processes, with employees noting a negative impact on work-life balance. One review states, “In Genpact they have extended The shift by 10 hours in total. The cab facility is extremely bad. There is no work life balance.”

Another review mentions, “Pathetic Salary Work life balance was really good but the company suddenly introduced 10hours working hours, so you work more and get paid less.” These reviews align with the X post and suggest the policy is implemented in at least some teams or locations, though not necessarily company-wide.

Analysis of Corporate Practices

Corporates are increasingly pushing for longer workdays to maximize surplus value. This is achieved by:

- Extending the working day (absolute surplus value), thereby increasing the total time employees produce value for the company.

- Introducing advanced tools and automation (relative surplus value), which should ideally reduce working hours due to increased productivity. However, the reality has been mass layoffs and increased pressure on remaining employees to work longer hours, contrary to the promise of technological progress.

Introduction of AI and sophisticated tools in IT industry

Introduction of sophisticated tools was supposed to generate increased by making workers more productive (e.g., Increase in relative surplus value through better machinery), which should reduce the work hours. But in actual scenario, we have seen severe retrenchments in the name technical progress and on the other hand increased working hours for those workers who managed to escape the pink slip.

West Bengal IT department Recent Notice Regarding the IT Work Hours

The West Bengal Labour Department has indeed increased the daily working hours for the Information Technology (IT) sector to 9 hours per day, effective

from July 1, 2024, while maintaining a maximum of 48 hours per week. This change, reported by multiple sources, was introduced to align with industry demands for greater flexibility in a 5-day workweek, allowing IT companies to bill clients for 45 hours per week (up from 42.5 hours under the previous 8.5-hour daily limit).

Genpact’s 10-hour policy likely builds on the state’s 9-hour IT regulation but it doesn’t state anything, about possible leveraging overtime allowances or specific client-driven requirements.

International Context

Similar trends have been observed globally, with employees at major tech firms like Google organizing strikes against increased workloads and deteriorating working conditions, demonstrating that this is a systemic issue within the industry. Workers of Google INC. unitedly observed continuous strike under the banner of Alphabet workers union in the United States of America.

Why Corporates Push for Longer Hours?

Capitalists or Corporates can increase surplus value in two ways:

1. absolute (extending the working day) and

2. relative (increasing productivity to reduce necessary labor time).

Extending the working day directly boosts absolute surplus value by increasing the total time workers produce value, with the surplus portion growing as a

result.

Our Demands

In response to these developments, the AIITEU WB and CITU makes the following demands:

1. Immediate Rollback of Extended Working Hours:

We demand the restoration of the 7+1 hour workday and a 35-hour workweek as the standard, in line with international labor norms and the health and well-being of employees.

2. Enforcement of Overtime Compensation:

In cases where extended hours are unavoidable, employees must be compensated with overtime pay as per the law. Any hours worked beyond the statutory limit must be strictly voluntary and paid at premium rates.

3. Right to Disconnect:

The right to disconnect from work-related communications outside of working hours must be recognized as a fundamental right for IT and ITES employees.

4. Withdrawal of Anti-Worker Labor Codes:

We call upon the Central Government to immediately withdraw all orders and labor codes that facilitate increased working hours and undermine employee

protections.

5. Transparent and Inclusive Policy-Making:

Any change in working conditions must be made in consultation with employee representatives and trade unions to ensure that workers’ voices are heard and their interests protected.

Extending the working day is a crude but effective tool for intensifying the exploitation of workers. It highlights the antagonistic relationship between capital and labor, as capitalists push for longer hours while workers fight for shorter ones to preserve their health, dignity, and family life. The introduction of advanced technology should lead to reduced working hours and improved working conditions-not the opposite.

AIITEU WB and CITU stands united with all the IT and ITES employees in their struggle for fair working conditions, dignity at work, and the right to a balanced life. We urge all employees to join us in demanding a 35-hour workweek and the recognition of the right to disconnect as a basic right.

Cheenangshuk Das, General Secretary, All India IT and ITES Employees’ Union (AIITEU), West Bengal.