Karl Marx believed that capitalists exploit workers by making them work more hours than necessary to produce their labour power. The captains of industry are exactly arguing for it. None of the corporate honchos or capitalists has come on record whether the salaries and wages of the employees and labourers would be increased or commensurate with the increase in the working hours. Their stance ratifies the tenet that the dispute over working time was a central dynamic of capitalism.

The captains of the Indian industries are clamouring for increasing the working hours to 70 hours, some even pleading for 90 hours. Obviously the worker would be forced to sacrifice his family life and leisure time for the sake of the growth of the industrial unit. It is irony to witness that manufacturing has been steadily on decline, with gross value added (GVA) per establishment falling 6.7 per cent in 2023-24 over 2022-23, and GVA per worker decreasing 4.2 per cent over the same period. According to a fact sheet of the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector (ASUSE), this indicates reduced productivity at both organisational and individual levels.

In prevailing economic situation, lobbying for increase in the working hours smacks of ominous design. It is not merely a coincidence that the issue of increasing working hour has been raised when manufacturing has been on decline. It is a deliberate move of the captains aided by rightist political forces to completely finish the Indian working class, which under the rule of saffron ecosystem is perceived as major stumbling block in their path of growth and expansion.

Indian labour market is in bad state. It faces acute challenge of high unemployment especially among younger people. The unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above is 3.2%. The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 29 is 10.2%. Urban areas have higher unemployment rates than rural areas. Women have higher unemployment rates in urban areas than in rural areas.

While capitalist countries generally have shorter working hours than developing countries and in recent years even some of them have further decreased the working hours in recent years, the Indian honchos have been craving to increase the working hours. In developed or capitalist countries with the rise in incomes, the worker can afford more leisure time. This is certainly not the case with India and its labour force. The concept of the leisure time is a skewed idea. The workers do not have clear understanding of it.

Do these bosses believe that they can multiply their profit by increasing the working hours? There's a link between national income and average working hours. The corporate sector has changed its attitude and approach towards business. It is not willing to invest huge money in manufacturing. Manufacturers are for tangible transformation of raw materials into finished products, managing the entire lifecycle with precision while trading companies act as vital intermediaries, facilitating connections between manufacturers and buyers. In the quest to become highly developed nation, the corporate sector has also opted for short cut. Instead of investing in manufacturing, it is for making profit through trading.

Trading companies act as intermediaries between manufacturers and buyers. They facilitate the sourcing and distribution of products. They often maintain a diverse product catalogue sourced from multiple factories. At present, Chinese products have flooded the Indian market. Indian corporate sector is not so keen to creating unique products tailored to market needs as it costs much. But in the case of trading, the profit is quite high and one of the primary advantages is the lower upfront investment compared to manufacturing. In today’s globalized economy, the distinction between manufacturers and trading companies is pivotal for businesses engaged in sourcing and procurement.

In 2019, the National Statistical Office of the Government of India published a report "Time Use in India - 2019" which revealed a startling reality - male urban workers aged 15-59 years spend an average of 521 minutes a day, or 60 hours and 47 minutes a week, on direct employment and related activities. This demolishes the myth of the legally stipulated 48-hour workweek. Similarly, rural women of the same age group spend an average of 13 hours a day on paid and unpaid work, indicating the stark reality of their daily lives.

Nevertheless Narendra Modi’s pro-capitalist government, promoting their interests, suppressed the findings of the report, as a result it could not be discussed and debated in political circle. The extension of working hours has disastrous consequences with multiple grievances, reminiscent of the historic struggle and sacrifices made by workers in America 137 years ago in 1886. They stormed the streets for the right to 8 hours of work, 8 hours of leisure, and 8 hours of rest - a fight that earned the right for the entire working class of the world.

The most insidious aspect is the implementation of work-from-home arrangements in the IT and related sectors, which has extended the workday to almost 24 hours. It allows the employees to be with their family members. But the fact is he cannot enjoy the privilege of leisure, as he has to be on alert for 24 hours. The Indian captains of industries are keen to imitate the capitalist postures but they are not willing to reform the industrial relations and mode of production. Baring a few who have incorporated new productions concepts and ideas, most still prefer to follow the traditional style of production. They are averse to bring about technological innovations which make work more efficient and productive.

The industrialists are too willing to ignore the guidelines for use of labour force. Though they claim to follow the capitalist mode of manufacturing and production, their attitude and attitude is out an out feudal. It is worth mentioning that The International Labour Organization (ILO) considers working more than 48 hours per week to be excessive. This is because it can negatively impact health, safety, productivity, and work-life balance. Even labour economists feel that hours of work is beneficial to increase the production. A tired and exhausted labour cannot be expected to boost production.

It was quite heartening to listen to Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, saying that the quality of work is more important than the number of hours worked. He has spoken out against the idea of extending working hours and said that impactful work can be done in a short amount of time. He was reacting to the remarks of L&T chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan that employees work 90-hour weeks. Mahindra said that he believes that spending time with friends and family, and reading, helps people make better decisions.

He was emphatic “ I am not really understanding why the business managers and owners would seem to keep the work week long when productivity (and by extension, profits)have clearly been greater with a shorter work week. I can see that this holds true, if only by virtue of the fact that we do not, in fact, have a four day work week. But can anyone explain this to me? And don’t be afraid to explain like I’m fine”.

CPI(ML) MP Raja Ram Singh a week back wrote to Union labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya expressing concern over recent statements from prominent industry leaders advocating extended work hours, including proposals to violate the legally mandated eight-hour workday limit for workers. Singh, a member of the standing committee on labour, textiles and skill development, has asked for strict enforcement of the laws governing duty hours and six-day work weeks for workers. Singh argued that it is a fact that longer working hours reduced productivity instead of increasing it and were detrimental to a worker’s health. (IPA Service)