Murthy right on 70-hr workweek for youth but employers should bridge pay gap

But the main problem in India is salaries. What Indians get for their work is a fraction of what their counterparts get for a similar role and work in the developed nations! Of course it’s a fact that Indian currency is very cheap when it’s pitted against the US dollar and other currencies of developed countries. But that should not be the reason for paying less for those working in India. This anomaly is more glaring in the software industry

Everyone wants to don the role of a journalist these days. YouTube and other social media platforms are facilitating such endeavours. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also not immune to this fad. He put on a journalist hat and interviewed globally-renowned economist and former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan in December 2022.

Rajan is a known critic of the Narendra Modi government’s economic policies. Rahul’s attempt to make Rajan talk is understandable. In a similar vein, the Nehru-Gandhi family scion did an interview of Satya Pal Malik, former J&K governor, recently.

A senior BJP leader and former MP, Malik was appointed by the Modi government as the Governor of Bihar in September 2017. Subsequently, he was made the Governor of J&K. He is now a bitter critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

That way, Rahul’s latest choice is obvious. Like many Opposition leaders, Rahul Gandhi feels that he is being neglected by the mainstream media that, according to him, favours the ruling dispensation. It’s highly debatable whether he is right in this aspect, as the mainstream media covers him and his party extensively. However, his journalistic attempts seem to provide a platform for Modi critics. It’s to be seen how far these will be effective for the Congress party electorally.

But then Rahul is not alone in this genre. Even corporate leaders are also doing it. Recently, T.V. Mohandas Pai made an impressive debut with his first podcast under The Record-Leadership by Example series on 3one4 Capital Youtube channel. As many are aware, he was a member of the Board of Directors of IT major Infosys Technologies for many years. He also held key positions at Infosys Leadership Institute. Currently, he is the Chairman of Manipal Global Education.

Under this series, he did his first interview with N.R. Narayana Murthy, a co-founder of Infosys Technologies, and India’s IT icon. Murthy spoke brilliantly about India’s journey in the economic sphere. But his comment that Indian youth should work for 12 hours a day and at least 70 hours in a week has created a lot of buzz on social media and also in the mainstream media.

I watched the 53-minute interview video in which he made it clear that India's image went up significantly in the eyes of a comity of nations in the recent past and India's youth should walk an extra mile and work extra hours to not only retain the enhanced image, but also bolster it further.

To buttress his argument, he cited people from Germany and Japan, who slogged for long hours to put their respective countries on a higher growth trajectory immediately after the devastating World War II. He has also pointed out that productivity is very low in India even when compared to several developing nations. So, there is an urgent need to increase it as well, he felt.

But what do statistics and norms say? The International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s earliest norms set the standard of eight working hours a day or 48 hours a week. India, which ratified this norm as early as in 1920s, still follows it. That way, Indians are already working harder. ILO’s recent Convention reduced the workweek to 40 hours. This is what the developed nations currently follow.

Whatever may be the current norms, Narayana Murthy is right and Indians should work for longer hours if they are keen on developing the country at a faster clip and making it a developed nation by the earliest possible time.

However, the main problem in India is salaries. What Indians get for their work is a fraction of what their counterparts get for a similar work in the developed nations! Of course, it’s a fact that Indian currency is very cheap when pitted against the US dollar and other currencies of developed countries. But that should not be the reason for paying less for those working in India. This anomaly is more glaring in the software industry. Without bridging this huge pay gap, asking Indians to work for more hours is not justifiable.

Furthermore, salaries on par with those prevailing in or close to those in developed countries bring in lots of benefits for India as a nation. Whether one agrees or not, the country’s cream of talent is migrating to the developed nations in search of higher salaries. These talented people will not look towards foreign shores if they get similar pay packages here. India needs to retain this highly productive cream if it has to emerge as a developed nation. Furthermore, corporates should consider giving their employees ESOPs liberally. After all, it is inevitable that sacrifices have to be made from both sides.

Amid all these, one thing is certain. A collective effort will only make India a developed nation. There is no other way. And India needs a much bigger economy than the US for its per capita income to reach on par with the developed nations as our country is home to over 1.4 billion people. That can be achieved only if one or two generations of Indians follow Murthy’s advice and work harder. Let’s hope that happens for the sake of a better India.