Rishi Sunak’s billionaire father-in-law sparks outcry in India by saying young people should work 70-HOUR weeks
Rishi Sunak’s billionaire father-in-law has sparked outrage in India after saying young people should work 70 hours a week to “help the country”.
Software magnate NR Narayana Murthy made the comments on a business podcast in which he also complained that young Indians are adopting “less than desirable habits from the West.”
He lamented that India’s labor productivity is “among the lowest in the world” and added that “unless we improve our labor productivity… we will not be able to compete with the countries that have made tremendous progress.”
“So that’s why my request is that our youth should say, ‘This is my country.’ “I would like to work 70 hours a week,” he said.
The controversial comments sparked backlash from many online, with critics pointing to the low starting salaries and long hours endured by young people in the country.
Some business leaders have backed his call for higher productivity, while his wife defended the comments, saying her husband has even worked longer than 70 hours a week during his successful career.
NR Narayana Murthy complained that young Indians are adopting ‘not so desirable customs from the West’
Software magnate NR Narayana Murthy made the comments on business podcast The Record
In Britain, where Mr Murthy’s son-in-law is Prime Minister, the Working Time Directive stipulates that workers cannot work more than 48 hours per week on average
“He’s been working 80 to 90 hours a week, so he doesn’t know what less is,” Sudha Murty told News 18.
‘He believes in really hard work and that’s how he lived. That’s why he told me what he felt.’
In Britain, where Mr Murthy’s son-in-law is Prime Minister, the Working Time Directive stipulates that workers cannot work more than 48 hours a week on average.
Employee working hours have become a hot topic in India. The pandemic has led to a change in attitudes as people have increasingly been able to work from home, but also to a slowdown in the economy, as has been the case elsewhere with successive lockdowns.
Earlier this year, the Tamil Nadu state government was forced to withdraw a bill that would have allowed working hours in factories to be increased from eight to 12 hours, following angry protests and outrage from opposition politicians.
One health expert contacted X to dismiss the suggestion, arguing that overworking leads to deteriorating health among Indian youth.
“No time to socialize, no time to talk to family, no time to exercise, no time for recreation. Not to mention that companies expect people to answer emails and calls even after work hours,” wrote Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, a cardiologist from Bengaluru.
Sudha Murthy defended the comments, saying her husband has even worked longer than 70 hours a week during his successful career
“Do you wonder why young people have heart attacks?”
Meanwhile, Mumbai-based businesswoman Radhika Gupta argued that Indian women have long worked “much more than 70 hours a week to build India,” with their time consumed by both office and homework duties.
Entrepreneur and filmmaker Ronnie Screwvala argued that Mr Murthy’s suggestion was not the best way to increase workflow efficiency.
‘Increasing productivity is not just about working longer. It’s about getting better at what you do: further training, a positive working environment and fair compensation for the work done.
“Quality of work done > working more hours,” he wrote on X in response to the comments.
However, another tech heavyweight has backed Mr Murthy’s argument, writing on work 40 hours for the company, but work 30 hours for yourself. .
‘Invest the 10,000 hours that make someone a master of their craft. Burn the midnight oil and become an expert in your field. THAT is 70 hours of work, with which you, as a young person, can gradually distinguish your country.’
This is not the first time that Mr Murthy has suggested Indians extend their working hours.
He was also criticized in 2020 for suggesting they should work at least 64 hours a week for two to three years to offset the economic slowdown caused by the Covid pandemic.
Mr. Murthy is one of the richest men in India. He comes from a middle-class background and has built up a personal fortune of more than £3 billion.
He is the father of Akshata Murty, who met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak while studying at Stanford University in the US.
His daughter, herself a wealthy businesswoman whose personal fortune is estimated to be worth £1 billion, recently described her values of ‘hard work, humility and selflessness’.