In this episode of Editorial, Mr. Sujit Nair discusses a statement made by Larsen & Toubro Chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan, who suggested that employees should work 90 hours a week, including Sundays. Mr. Nair highlights how employers are exploiting workers in a job market plagued by unemployment. He also emphasizes the importance of work-life balance, a principle commonly upheld in developed countries.
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[00:00:00] Namaskar, welcome to another episode of editorial. I think our middle class, our poor are being exploited. I think now it is open. It is open and I am going to talk to you about it. Let's get right into the show.
[00:00:20] This gentleman from L&T who is the chairman of L&T, this gentleman says his name is S.N. Subrahmanyan. This gentleman says I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. You see he was addressing some audience and I guess his employees and somebody asked him as to why is L&T such a big company so much profit. Why are you making people work on Saturdays? He said Saturdays. He said Saturdays. He says I regret.
[00:00:53] I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays. What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can your wife stare at a husband?
[00:01:13] Let's answer this man. Let's answer this man. You see, this man who is talking to you, who is talking to his employees saying that I work on Sunday earns 51 crores a year.
[00:01:27] 51 crores a year, which is, you know, very ironically 534.57 times more than the median salary of an L&T worker. This chairman of L&T earns 534 times more than a median salary of an L&T worker. He says I work on Sunday. He says I work on Sunday. You work 375 days out of the 365 days. How does it matter you are earning that kind of money?
[00:01:57] You see, this man would be travelling in a super luxurious car to his super luxurious house to his super luxurious living and he says I am working on a Sunday and he is expecting his employee who possibly stays in a remote suburban chawl
[00:02:20] who travels by train, who travels by train, who travels by train, which is possibly the most crowded commuting system in the world. He is travelling by a local train and he is fending his family. He is expecting that man to do the same work that this man who earns 500 times more salary than that person who is staying in that remote suburban city.
[00:02:46] He is expecting him to do the same work. Why? So that he who currently earns 51 crores can earn 122 crores. Because I will tell you how his 51 crores is divided. His 51 crores, according to reports, are divided as in, this is 23-24, as in 3.6 crores as perquisites.
[00:03:05] As perquisites, 1.67 crores as perquisites and 35.28 crores as commission. As commission. So this man is asking that person who is earning 500 times lesser than him to work more, to work on a Sunday. Because this 35 crores now that he is getting in perquisites, which is adding to his 51 crores, that perquisites will go up.
[00:03:33] He will earn more profit. His company will earn more profit. He will get more money. So who has to work? That person who travels by train, who travels by train. And you know, it is very difficult. I used to travel by train. From Thane, where I used to stay once upon a time, to Naraman Point, that is to Viti, I used to travel by train. It's a nightmare to travel by Mumbai trains. Or public transport anywhere in this country.
[00:04:02] One and a half hours, two hours, you travel to reach your office. Then you come to your office. On time. Work in your office. Normally more than eight hours. Then go back to that railway station. Go get into that train. And then go home. Normally, the average person, anyway spends 10 to 11 hours, traveling and going to his office and going back home. Anyway,
[00:04:32] traveling, working, coming to his office and then going back home. He spends 10 to 11 hours, every day, anyways. Lives in conditions that are tough at times. Water, no. Water in his house. He comes to office. He comes from office, goes down, gets water in buckets and takes to his family. Because there's no water supply. Most of them go to the market, fetch vegetables, food for their family and come, after coming back from office.
[00:05:02] Does Mr. Subramaniam even know of all this? Is he even aware of this? And if he is not aware of this, what chairman is he? What head of the company is he? Number one. This is emotional. This is emotional. It's on the side. No emotion nowadays. Secondly, the reason I said, exploitation now is open. Exploitation in this country is open. Why? Because there is huge unemployment. Huge unemployment. So,
[00:05:32] business heads are openly telling you, What is the problem? What is the problem? What is the problem? One man said, 70 hours. The chairperson of Infosys, he said, 70 hours. Work for 70 hours a week. Almost 10 hours every day. He says, work every day, Sunday, one day, one day, Tuesday, 70 hours a week. This man said, 90 hours a week. Okay, the point that I am trying to make is, this is exploitation. There is no job. There is absolutely lack of job.
[00:06:01] What these business heads, these capitalists, these people who earn money, who earn huge amount of money, these people are telling the people in general, that buddy, listen, 90 hours come, you live or die, you have a family, or you don't, you take care of your wife, you take care of your family, but come work for 90 hours. Work for 90 hours. This is a rule. Why?
[00:06:31] Because there is no job. An average person doesn't have an option. An average person doesn't have an option. That is why these business heads are asking for 90 hours, 70 hours. I have seen some young entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, you know, talk about, I do this, I'll work 90 hours, I work 60 hours. What? Nonsense. Because you earn that kind of money. That is why these people are asking you for 90 hours and 80 hours. Now,
[00:07:00] there was a response from L&T yesterday, where they said that we believe that this is India's decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realize our shared vision of becoming developed nation. The chairman's remarks reflect the larger ambition, emphasizing that extraordinary effort. Number one, L&T is working for profits. L&T doesn't do not-for-profit jobs for India and India development. So, they are doing their jobs,
[00:07:29] making money of our development. Number one. Number two, let us not spread a kind of feeling that, you know, India was a war-torn country and we are trying to rebuild ourselves and all that. India's development was happening even before last decade. It is happening this decade. It will happen next decade also. And in the same pace, God willing, in the same pace. So, what they are saying is not really that, you know, we were going,
[00:07:59] we had some war like Germany and Japan and all, when we went through some massive attack on us and then we are rebuilding ourselves. God's grace, nothing of that sort is happening. Our development is happening steadily. And if some people are putting efforts, no, it is because their coffers, their balance sheets are looking good. Their profits are looking good. So, let us directly be, let us be real about this. Point number three, what happened to the Ram Mandir that,
[00:08:29] that L&T was involved in building? How could it leak? What kind of dedication is that? The Pragati Maidan tunnel flooded. They will know. What kind of dedication is that? My next point is that, listen, you know what? We are two people. There are people like Mr. Narayan Murthy and this gentleman, Mr. Subramaniam, who wants 50 crores and 100 crores and 1000 crores salary.
[00:08:58] And then we are this middle class Indians, this poor and middle class Indians. Our priorities are different. Please don't impose your priorities on us. Please don't impose your priorities on us. Your priority is to buy that latest penthouse. Your priority is to buy that latest Rolls Royce. Your priority, Kutri, to get your daughters and sons married to the kings and queens and prime ministers of the world. Our priority is to ensure that we feed our society, our family better.
[00:09:27] Our priority is to ensure that we spend some good time with our family. Our priority is to ensure that our houses don't leak so that we maintain our houses. Our priority is to ensure that we go to the market when we are back from office, get good food and give it to our family. Our priorities are to ensure that our kids, our sons, our daughters are educated well. How do we get the best loan possible for their education and ensure that their education educated well so that we give them their better lives?
[00:09:55] Do you see the difference between the way you think and the way we think? Do you see the difference? To achieve your dreams. Don't make it sound as a collective India's dream. Please don't make it sound to achieve your dreams, achieve your profits, achieve your comforts and luxuries. Don't slave drive. Don't make us work for 10 hours. Don't make us work for 12 hours because a little time that we spend with our family is all that we have.
[00:10:27] Don't take that away from us. You see, that gentleman Narayan Murthy spoke about China and Japan and all that. You see, one of the most prosperous companies exist in America. Please check if Google works for 90 hours or 70 hours. Please check the work environment of Google. I have worked for an American company for a large part of my life. The kind of human resources,
[00:10:55] the kind of employee benefits, the kind of attention they give to ensure that an employee has a work-life balance, the kind of attention they give to that is amazing. And that's precisely why possibly few of the best companies, few of the most well-run companies, most well-managed companies are in the United States of America. You know, let me also share some facts with you
[00:11:23] because a lot of people are saying a lot of things. Let me also share some facts with you. Well, people say that Japan, China and all work 100 hours a day and all that. Let me tell you some figures. Tokyo, Tokyo, metropolitan government has announced plans to implement a four-day week starting April 2025. This year, they are starting a four-day week. This is Japan, Tokyo. So, the point is, what are we talking about?
[00:11:53] Who says that you have to slave drive for you to develop or you to make more money or you to be a capitalist? Yes, the owner will be richer. The guy who earns 500% 500 times more than the average worker in that factory, he will be richer. He or she could be richer. But, you know, it is not that it is going to make a massive difference to the country. A country develops when people are focused.
[00:12:22] You have smart workers. You have energetic workers. You know, one of the key components of the reforms that Japan is doing in April 2025 is childcare, partial leave system. Now, this is one of the most key components that they are introducing. What does that mean? It is all about a work-life balance. It's all about the time you spend in office and the time you spend with your family, your wife and your kids. Like,
[00:12:52] this gentleman again coming back to Subramanyam. My point number four, he says, what do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? And how long can the wife stare at the husband? You see, I don't know about his life. I don't know about his life. I don't know. And I don't care. Unlike him, I don't want to comment on his personal life. But, you know, I talk for a lot of middle class people like me. We enjoy spending time with our wife,
[00:13:22] our children a lot. We enjoy doing that. We like each other's company. I've been married for 35 years and every 35 years I like spending time with my family. I don't know about him. I don't know about him. I don't know how it works in his life. But in my life, I do that. So let me, on behalf of a lot of middle class and poor people in this country, tell him that you see, for us, it's a privilege spending time with our wife and our family.
[00:13:51] And the more time we get to spend, we are happy that we are getting to spend. And the amount of money we earn, we are very satisfied till such time that we have a very good family at home. Because for us, that family is very important. As important as money is for you. Let's be very clear about this. Your priority could be money. Our priority is our family. And this country cannot be money driven. This country is about family. Our culture is about family.
[00:14:20] So money could be important for you. That's your priority. That's not ours. What are you generalizing? What are you generalizing? And my last point before I end this editorial, I want to ask all you IIMs, you young people, IIMs, IITans, and Pits Bilani, and all these premium institute, students from these premium institutes, software engineers, would you want to work with these kind of people? Would you want to work
[00:14:50] for these kind of companies who believes that you work so that they earn? Do you really want to work with them? Do you really want to encourage them? And I ask shareholders and the board of the companies of these kind of people, the company that these people represent, is this what your HR is all about? Is this what your human relations is all about? Are you all about balance sheets? That's it? Is that a fair way of
[00:15:20] actually functioning? Think about it. Just yesterday, I spoke to you about 1% of our population having more than 40% of our wealth. You see why. Till I see you next time. That's tomorrow at 10. Namaskar. Stay ahead with our cutting-edge news app. Instantly access the latest shots in just one minute and breaking news in just 50 words. Download now
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