Vatal Nagaraj protests against L&T chief’s 90-hour workweek suggestion

Team Udayavani, Jan 13, 2025, 12:38 PM IST

Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj staged a protest on Monday (Jan 13) at Aijuru Circle, vehemently opposing the statement made by L&T Chief Subrahmanian, who suggested employees work 90 hours per week.

Speaking at the protest, Nagaraj criticized the remark, stating, “Such ideas are designed to ruin employees’ health and well-being. Industrialists are focused on increasing their profits while burdening employees to the point of breaking their backs.”

Nagaraj also expressed his disapproval of Subrahmanian’s alleged disregard for family values, citing, “Suggesting that men should not sit with their wives is deeply disrespectful and undermines the sanctity of marital relationships. These statements contribute to destroying the balance of family life.”

The activist further targeted Infosys founder Narayana Murthy for his similar statement encouraging a 70-hour workweek. Nagaraj called such proposals an attempt to exploit workers and reduce them to mere “slaves to wages.”

He demanded that Subrahmanian and Murthy issue an apology to the people of the country and urged them to abandon plans to impose extended work hours. “Forcing employees to work excessive hours is unacceptable and detrimental to society,” Nagaraj concluded.