Journalism of Courage
Why was Infosys fined nearly Rs 2 crore in France?
Under French labour law, employers must maintain accurate records of employees' working hours.
According to the findings, the company's working-time recording system did not fully comply with French labour regulations
French labour authorities fined Infosys EUR 175,000 (around Rs 2 crore) after its system for recording employee working hours was found non-compliant with legal requirements.
The penalty was imposed by DRIEETS Ile-de-France, the regional labour authority in France. Infosys disclosed the development in a stock-exchange filing, stating it received communication from the authority regarding the fine’s collection, Outlook Business reported.
Concerns over working hours
According to the findings, the company’s working-time recording system did not fully comply with French labour regulations. The authority raised concerns over the system’s reliability, its ability to maintain auditable records, and its monitoring capabilities for certain categories of employees.
Under French labour law, employers must maintain accurate records of employees’ working hours, including compliance with the country’s statutory 35-hour workweek, overtime limits, and mandatory rest periods. The records must also be reliable and auditable if required, the report added.
The stock-exchange filing does not specify which categories of Infosys employees the findings related to, nor does it mention whether the company has been directed to make specific changes to its time-recording system.
View this post on Instagram
Social media reactions
The development quickly gained momentum on social media, drawing a wave of reactions. “ull time permanent is 35 hours in France, in general, contracts can go to 48 maximum. And after office hours, weekends n holidays, it’s illegal to contact employees,” an Instagram user wrote.
Another user commented, “Now French employees will do their usual work and the workload will get shifted to India cus corporate slavery is the norm here.”
“It’s no surprise that many young people prefer foreign work cultures. Too many employers in India disregard work life balance, while the government has failed to enact strong laws against six day workweeks or mandate strict overtime pay beyond 40 hours,” a third user chimed in.
Story continues below this ad
Narayana Murthy’s China’s “9-9-6” work culture debate
The fine also comes amid an ongoing debate over working hours at the company. Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy has previously advocated longer working hours for Indian employees, arguing that greater effort is necessary for the country to remain globally competitive. Referring to China’s “9-9-6” work culture, Murthy said that “no individual, no community, no country has ever come up without hard work”, describing the schedule as working from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement
Live Blog
Advertisement