L&T defends Chairman's 90-hour workweek comment; what rulebook says

After Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman S N Subrahmanyan faced severe criticism for advocating a 90-hour work week and suggesting that employees should work even on Sundays, the company has come forward to defend his statements.

"How long can you stare at your wife," Subrahmanyan was heard saying in a purported video address to employees where he urged them to spend less time at home and more in the office.

What L&T said

His remarks reignited the work-life balance debate, first triggered by Infosys Co-Founder Narayana Murthy's suggestion of a 70-hour workweek.

Also read: ‘How long can you stare at your wife?’: L&T chief calls for 90-hour work week

"I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays," Subrahmanyan said in an undated video circulating on social media.

"What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Come on, get to the office and start working," he further said.

His comments drew criticism on social media.

Also read: 'Shocking': Deepika on L&T head suggesting 90-hour work week for staff

Soon after, L&T issued a clarification saying the chairman's remarks were in the context of extraordinary efforts required for achieving extraordinary outcomes for the nation.

"We believe this is India's decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realise our shared vision of becoming a developed nation.

"The chairman's remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary effort," L&T spokesperson said in a brief statement.

Stating that nation-building is at the core of L&T's mandate, it said for over eight decades, the company has been shaping India's infrastructure, industries, and technological capabilities.

"At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward," the spokesperson added.

Subrahmanyan's conversation with a Chinese person

In the video, Sumeet Chatterjee, Chief Communications Officer at L&T, is seen asking the chairman, "Why are L&T employees asked to work on Saturdays despite being a top conglomerate?"

In response, the chairman says, "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays also."

Subrahmanyan went on to share an anecdote. He cited a conversation he had with a Chinese person who said that China could surpass the US because of the country's strong work ethic.

According to Subrahmanyan, the Chinese person said, "Chinese people work 90 hours a week, while Americans work only 50 hours a week."

Drawing a parallel, Subrahmanyan encouraged L&T employees to follow a similar work regime.

"So that's the answer for you. If you have got to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week," he said in the video.

'Promoting slavery'

The video went viral quickly, attracting some nasty comments as well. "Another CEO promoting slavery shamelessly," one person commented.

Some questioned why highly paid CEOs with different job pressures expect the same level of commitment from less-paid employees.

Subrahmanyan's comments reignited the work-life balance debate that came into the limelight in July last year following the death of a 26-year-old EY consultant.

Infosys Co-Founder Murthy, too, had a few months back advocated a 70-hour work week. "India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world... my request is that our youngsters must say, 'this is my country, I want to work 70 hours a week'," Murthy had said.

Last month, billionaire Gautam Adani had also waded into the work-life balance debate when he said the spouse will leave if one was to spend eight hours with the family.

He had reportedly stated that work-life balance is a matter of personal choice. "Your idea of work-life balance should not be imposed on me and my idea shouldn't be imposed on you. Say, someone spends 4 hours with family and finds joy in it, or if someone else spends 8 hours and enjoys it, that is their work-life balance." "Aath ghanta family ke saath bitayega tho biwi bhaag jaayegi (Wife will leave if one spends eight hours with family)," he had said.

What does rulebook say about working hours

As per The Factories Act, 1948, Chapter VI (Working Hours of Adults), Section 51, “No adult worker shall be required or allowed to work in a factory for more than forty-eight (48) hours in any week.”

“Subject to the provisions of section 51, no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work in a factory for more than nine (9) hours in any day,” it added.

As per the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) ‘C001 - Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919’, “The working hours of persons employed in any public or private industrial undertaking or in any branch thereof, other than an undertaking in which only members of the same family are employed, shall not exceed eight (8) in the day and forty-eight (48) in the week.”

India is a founder member of the International Labour Organization, which came into existence in 1919.

(With agency inputs)