Colonialism to Globalisation: Contouring Labour Discourse in India

Last year, in a podcast, Infosys’s founder, Mr. Narayana Murthy, expressed concern about India's low productivity and proposed a 'seventy-hour work week' for India. It sparked a national debate where some supported the need for seventy-hour work weeks to boost productivity, and others referred to ILO imperatives on exploitation, motivation and burnout. Meanwhile, International Labour Day completes a century in India, as in 1923, the colonial city of Madras saw the first May Day to be celebrated in this land. Globalisation’s impact on Labour and development is equated with GDP and undermines workers' experience and the intersectional confluence of labouring lives. Indian labour legislation still suffers from patriarchal myopia, as the current development discourse does not address it. It neglects occupational health and safety parameters and ignores crucial roles played by the economy's structure and productive employment opportunities. Nevertheless, glorifying a workaholic culture vilifies leisure and condones an unhealthy work-life balance. The present work uses a critical lens to appreciate workers' contributions historically and provides labour dynamic discourse in India.