"Labourers In India Not Willing To Work": L&T Chairman Sparks Row Again

Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan is at the centre of another row, this time concerning the reluctance of workers to relocate owing to availability of government welfare schemes. This comes week after his 90-hour work week remark led to a widespread debate about work-life balance.

Mr Subrahmanyan, while speaking at the CII's Mystic South Global Linkages Summit 2025 in Chennai on Tuesday, said it is difficult to get workers for the construction industry as they are reluctant to travel from their hometown due to a preference for comfort. He said that schemes like MGNREGA, direct benefit transfers and JAN DHAN accounts likely affect labour mobilisation.

"Labour is not willing to move for opportunities. Maybe their local economy is doing well, maybe it is due to the various government schemes," he said. He added that shortage of labour would impact the building of India's infrastructure.

Mr Subrahmanyan also said India faces the peculiar problem of migration, with L&T requiring 4 lakh workers, but recruiting 16 lakh people owing to attrition. He also raised the need to revise wages for workers in sync with inflation, pointing out that the Middle East draws workers as it draws three to 3.5 times the salary they draw in India.

The Larsen & Toubro Chairman had said last month that he wants his employees to work on Sundays too. "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working," he had said, adding that he works on Sundays too.

The debate saw many industry leaders like Adar Poonawalla, Anand Mahindra and ITC's Sanjiv Puri, advocating the need for work-life balance for productivity. The matter reached the Parliament when the government told Parliament last week that it is not considering any proposal to increase the maximum working hours to 70 or 90 hours a week.

About the discourse over 70-90-hour work week, pre-Budget Economic Survey on Friday last had cited studies to state that spending over 60 hours a week on work could have adverse health effects.

The survey noted that spending long hours at one's desk is detrimental to mental well-being, and individuals who spend 12 or more hours (per day) at a desk have distressed or struggling levels of mental well-being.