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‘Lazy' Workforce or ‘Arrogant' Government? Row Over Andhra Ordinance Allowing Ten-Hour Workdays

Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Government 'Lazy' Workforce or 'Arrogant' Government? Row Over Andhra Ordinance Allowing Ten-Hour Workdays Pavan Korada 35 minutes ago The government's stand that the extra hour is optional is met with deep scepticism by workers. Workers on the job at a foundry in Hyderabad. Photo: Rajesh Pamnani/Flickr/CC BY NC ND 2.0. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now New Delhi: In the official vocabulary of the Andhra Pradesh government, the word is 'flexibility'. It's a clean, modern term used to justify a new ordinance allowing factories and private firms to extend the length of the standard workday from nine hours to ten. According to the government, this is not about compulsion, but choice. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spokesperson Deepak Reddy frames the policy as a move that simply 'removes an illegality', enabling companies and willing employees to agree to an extra hour of work. But on factory floors and in the state's industrial belts, that explanation is viewed by many as a threat. For workers like Ramesh, a middle-aged factory operator, the language is a dangerous distortion. 'For whom is this flexibility?' he asked The Wire. 'The company now has the flexibility to demand another hour of my life. I have the 'flexibility' to either say yes or be marked as a troublemaker and lose my job.' He added, 'When one person has a stomach to feed and the other has a profit to make, it is not a negotiation. It is a demand. The government says the law removes 'illegality'. No, it legalises exploitation.' Ramesh's poignant words throw into sharp relief the deep chasm over one of Andhra Pradesh's most contentious new policies. Introduced as an ordinance by the National Democratic Alliance coalition government without legislative debate, the amendment to the foundational Factories Act of 1948 has reignited a debate, pitting the government's push for investment against the rights of its workforce. The government's case: a pitch for global investment The official narrative, articulated by information and public relations minister Kolusu Parthasarathy, is one of pragmatic necessity. 'You are in a global economy,' TDP spokesperson Reddy told The Wire. 'If you come up with a large number of laws compared to what China has, how are you going to compete with China?'. The argument is that to attract global capital, Andhra must offer competitive conditions. The key changes introduced by the ordinance, news of which circulated starting June 7, are: The maximum daily work hours are extended from nine to ten. The cap on overtime hours per quarter is nearly doubled, from 75 to 144. The continuous work period required to earn a 30-minute break is increased from five hours to six. Restrictions on women working night shifts have been eased, a move minister Parthasarathy bills as a step toward gender empowerment that will help women 'contribute to industrial growth'. Reddy insists the extra hour is not compulsory. 'Whether somebody wants to follow that or not is based on their discretion,' he says, describing a state with a skilled labour shortage where companies are eager to pay more for extra hours. The reality on the ground: 'An illusion of choice' This narrative, however, is met with deep scepticism on the factory floor. Trinadh, a young worker, told The Wire that he sees the law not as an offer but as a directive that removes any real choice. 'The government says it's not compulsory. I want to invite any government official to come to the factory floor at 6 pm when the supervisor is standing there with the overtime sheet. Let's see who has the real power to say 'no',' Trinadh said. 'This law doesn't give us a choice; it gives the company a weapon. They will say, 'The law allows ten hours, why are you only working nine?' It becomes the new normal, and anyone who resists is seen as lazy or inefficient. It's a trap.' Opposition parties and civil society groups agree. 'The state is under pressure from the [Union] government to amend rules to appease big industrialists,' said Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary V. Srinivasa Rao, arguing the changes 'will only make the workers slaves'. The Human Rights Forum was more blunt, describing the law as 'an irresponsible and deliberate assault on labour rights and dignity' and demanding its rollback. A 'lazy' workforce or an 'arrogant' government? When pressed by The Wire on the risk of coercion, Reddy suggested that state welfare schemes have made some people unwilling to work. 'The welfare schemes are making a lot of people too comfortable,' he stated. When asked if this is the government's 'opinion' or a 'fact', he insisted on the latter. 'They are very choosy about what [work they want to do] … They want only IT-related jobs sitting under the fan or AC.' This claim has drawn criticism, particularly as the government had, for the first year of its term, largely delayed the implementation of its own flagship 'Super Six' welfare schemes. For workers, the comment is seen as a profound insult. Lakshmi, a mother working in an electronics assembly unit, told The Wire: 'Lazy? I wake at 4 am to cook for my family, work for nine hours on my feet looking at tiny circuits, come home to cook again, clean and care for my daughter. 'That little money from the welfare scheme – the one they delayed – helps me buy her milk and schoolbooks. To call us 'lazy' is a deep insult from a man who has never known a day of our lives.' A senior trade union organiser from the All India Bank Employees' Association, on the condition of anonymity, described this as a calculated political strategy. 'This is a classic 'blame the victim' tactic,' she told The Wire. 'First, you create an economic environment that suppresses wages. Then, when workers demand dignity, you label them 'choosy'. Finally, when they rely on promised welfare, you brand them 'lazy'. It's a narrative to justify stripping away their rights. The problem isn't a lazy workforce; it's an arrogant government.' A 'solution for a file, not a woman in the dark' Disconnect between official policy and lived reality is also evident on the issue of women's safety. With the new law relaxing restrictions on night shifts, the government's proposed safeguard is the appointment of a 'nodal officer' for every company. Lakshmi, speaking to The Wire, explained why she believes this solution is inadequate. 'The government talks about a 'nodal officer'. Will this officer walk with me down the dark lane to my house at 1 am? Will he be there when a group of men are standing at the corner?' she asks. 'A nodal officer is a phone number on a poster inside the factory. It is a solution for a government file, not for a woman alone in the dark. We need guaranteed, door-to-door, secure transport. Anything less is just an empty promise.' Andhra's approach contrary to Tamil Nadu's The path Andhra Pradesh is charting stands in stark contrast to some of its neighbours. In 2023, Tamil Nadu's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government passed a similar Bill, only to withdraw it after widespread protests. Chief minister M.K. Stalin called the withdrawal 'a matter of pride', declaring his government would 'not compromise on the welfare of the workers'. Andhra Pradesh appears determined to ignore this precedent. The government speaks of gross state domestic product, global value chains and skill censuses. But for the people who will power this new economy, the language is simpler. They speak of exhaustion, of time stolen from children and of a fundamental right being legislated away. For them, the government isn't building a new future, but dismantling a hard-won promise codified in the first flush of India's independence: a life with dignity, earned in eight hours, not demanded in ten. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. 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