Recent statement by the founder of Infosys, Mr. Narayan Murthy “youngsters should work atleast 70 hours a week for the better” evoked controversies in corporate world and among the youth. The statement in itself is debatable and controversial and raged anger among the youths, saying “its for the company’s benefit and not for youth.
Why is it a violation?
With the twitter blowing up with tweets with mixed opinions, they believe Mr. Narayan Murthy made a factually incorrect statement that extended working hours helped advanced countries like Germany and Japan to succeed.
Second, he placed the burden of increasing productivity on the shoulder of workers when the reality is that they have underinvested in innovation, the critical factor for raising productivity.
Third, Mr. Narayana Murthy’s 70-hours week proposal violates International Labor Standards (ILS), the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Decent Work Agenda and its Fundamental Conventions that lay down the working hours in order to ensure that women and men get decent and productive work.
And lastly, already very low payouts for freshers and experienced workers is still considered a genuine concern for youth. As per debates opposing the idea, 69% of youngsters raised concern about already low salaries and is willing to work extra hours only if they are paid accordingly.
Statement by International Labour Organization regarding working hours
The factual based data of developed economies in past decade says, in more productive economies, workers work less while in the less productive economies, workers have to work more to compensate for lower productivity. In this context, International Labour Organization (ILO) reminded “working time and work-life-balance around the world” that “working hours and the organization of work and rest periods can have a profound influence on the physical and mental health and well-being of workers” and that “decisions on working time issues can also have repercussions for the broader health of the economy.
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