NEW DELHI: Congress chairman Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday took a jibe at Larsen & Toubro chairman SN Subrahmanyan over his recent suggestion of a 90-hour work week while rejecting his proposal and recalled that former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and BR Ambedkar had advocated that workers should not be made to work for more than eight hours in a day.
At the inauguration of the Congress’ new headquarters in New Delhi, Kharge expressed appreciation for L&T Construction’s work, while disagreeing with the statement by company’s chairman with a touch of humour.
“I would like to thank L&T construction…some dues are also left from our side,” Kharge said as others broke out in laughter.
“I would like to thank L&T construction, architects, labourers involved in the construction. While I thank the company, but the company’s CEO has made a remark of working 90 hours in a week. I don’t agree with that,” the Congress chief said.
The Congress chief emphasised the importance of labor laws established under leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and BR Ambedkar. “A laborer works for eight hours and gets tired. That is why Nehru and Ambedkar, while making the Factory Act, stated that workers should not be made to do more than eight hours of work,” Kharge said.
The L&T chairman Subrahmanyan had recently sparked outrage after suggesting that employees should work longer hours and give up Sundays. “How long can you stare at your wife?” he said, urging employees to spend less time at home and more in the office.
“I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be happier because I work on Sundays,” Subrahmanyan said in the video circulating online.
His remarks reignited the ongoing debate on work-life balance, following similar comments by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy advocating a 70-hour workweek.