Work in the Indian IT field: freedom or slavery?

The globalization of the labor market has raised questions about the choice of workers. In pursuit of the cheapest labor, US and European companies turned to Indian (Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian) information producers. The “demand” for Indian specialists has turned both the internal structure of the labor market and the education system.

The changes that took place in India in the 2000s are called the “Indian IT Revolution”. The “revolution” was accompanied by a rapid increase in the number of specialists employed in the IT industry (today accounting for about a quarter of the total mass of workers) and a multiplication of the total contribution of the industry to national GDP. As a result, by the end of the 2000s, a situation had arisen in which a huge part of the Indian population, having found a job in an office in Chennai or in the local “silicone valley” Bangalore, actually did work for customers from San Francisco or, for example, New York.

How and at the expense of whom such rapid growth was carried out? In what conditions do specialists of the “future” / intangible workers of the beginning of the century work? Below I will give some evidence of those who experience “happy changes” on a daily basis and those who are trying to invent ways of collective intervention in the situation. That is, evidence of the scale of the spread of literally killer working conditions in the Indian software industry, as well as evidence of attempts to create professional self-organization of workers.

Information Work and Outrage

One of the opinions about the events in India was published in March 2013 by K. Kahn, an IT worker at a software company in Bangalore, a member of the Indian Association of IT Employees (ALLITEA), and a protester organized by HCL employees.

“The neoliberal regimes in India, in several states including Central, regardless of the ideological position of the party in power, quickly created the artificial islands of Knowledge workers. Including in order to separate them from other groups of workers involved in the struggle for their rights and interests. Recent protests by HCL workers across from HCL offices in various parts of the country have shown that the size of the IT sector in India is increasing. Unfortunately, up to this point, the workers themselves did not collectively voice their voice, declare exploitation in this area. The protests of HCL workers are just the tip of the iceberg, showing the growth of indignation among employees of IT firms, their irritation, intimidation, exploitation, etc. In a situation of deep global economic crisis,

The question that does not leave me alone is as follows: Why did it happen that in India so far there have been no attempts to create a trade union or association of employees of private companies, not only in the IT sector, but also any white-collar associations in principle?

One of the answers to this question, shared by many, is considered to be the fact that the private sector of the white-collar workers is well paid and the organizations take care of their employees in every way. But the truth is that, at least in the IT sector, companies “present” their employees because of their own fear (before the government). The IT sector is a significant resource of national GDP. No company wants to take risks, that is, adversely affect the growth of the industry (in the case, for example, of workers' strikes).

A few months ago, the news spread around the media. Chairman of the Ministry of Labor of the Government of Karnataka recommended stopping the artificial inflation of IT growth, stop providing benefits to IT companies. However, after a brief discussion in the news, the IT industry continued to stretch again.

A study by NIMHANS in Bangalore provided shocking data: more than 36% of technicians experience serious mental illness. 1 out of 20 IT professionals are seriously thinking about the possibility of suicide, reports NIMHANS. 27.6% of IT workers are addicted to various drugs. Suicide, health problems, conflicts in the family due to severe pressure at work and long, irregular working days seriously deform relations with loved ones and the social fabric of society as a whole. The expression “Burned out at work” has become popular among IT industry workers, as well as among HR employees who do not stop trying to find new ways to motivate and boost the competitive spirit of 14-18 hours of daily work in an office in the IT industry is considered the perfect norm.verified by anyone who doubts or denies such a fact.

Anyone can find and read many suicidal stories published in the news. In some cases, the employee who committed suicide leaves a note in which he accuses his manager, boss of his act. And so far nothing has been done by the government to stop the destruction of society.

A few months ago, the headlines of all major newspapers announced a government proposal to introduce biometric passports for all IT professionals. This idea was supported by company executives. If it is not slavery, then what is it?

The only way out is unification. But it is important to understand that in the current conditions, far from all workers are able to join a trade union or association, collectively oppose exploitation and intimidation. Most workers are afraid of immediate dismissal.

Nevertheless, there were those who nevertheless initiated the registration of the IT professionals association - All India IT Employee Association (more detailed information about the tasks and goals of the association can be found on their website) Among the main requirements of AllTEA: to draw the attention of the government to the need to create a pension program for IT workers, providing employees with complete information about companies in the industry (by publishing it on the official website of the association), about working conditions in it (not just the level of salaries, but also the level of satisfaction workers, conflicts, annoyance). We aim to develop a list of rules and requirements for working with employees, designed to protect and preserve the interests of employees. This list, approved by government services, will clearly define what is permitted and prohibited inside the company. ”

The total number of members of the association, which has declared itself the first independent trade union association in the field of IT in India, today is about 10,000 people. The central tasks of the association are the adoption of the IT act and the provision of social guarantees for all IT professionals (insurance, premiums, payment for processing, etc.). Along with another association, the IT and ITES Workers' Union (UNITES), this association is a successful attempt at self-organization. "21st Century Professionals" in India.

Illusions, rivalries and suicides

What still does not suit participants in professional associations? What are they unable to cope with on their own individual forces? And why are IT workers so much exposed to the illusion of their own exclusivity?

The answers to these questions are partly supplemented and prompted by the text of another Gautam IT worker. A laid-off employee focuses much more on the relationship between managers and subordinates. Its text offers a critical analysis of the illusions of the IT revolution and the corporate system of large modern IT companies. That system, which for verification is no more than a disguised mechanism of operation.

“What the IT revolution in India made really real is the spread among IT specialists of a false idea of ​​themselves as the most worthy, great, talented employee. In India, in particular, thanks to Manmohan Singh reforms, the number of IT employees has always exceeded the number required by the market. This discrepancy affected salaries that remained small.

What are the structural changes that made this well-functioning “money-making machine” (outsourcing industry) possible? The key figure of this machine is the manager. The development of capitalism over the past couple of decades has been accompanied and provided by the development of new theories of scientific management. The work of the manager directly affects the welfare of the company and depends on it, while the payment for the work of ordinary employees producing "information" products has nothing to do with the actual level of profit received by the company. An average manager works well if each of his subordinates is 100% or more productive. Workers collide with each other, getting involved in a continuous struggle, competition for their own individual well-being. There is no sense of belonging to a single team, empathy, solidarity. All participants in the race are irreconcilable rivals. The internal ideology of the company is built on the basis of extreme individualism, around personal success. There are also managers who stand behind middle managers, pushing and pushing them. The whole system of power within the company looks as if it is a series of ongoing battles for survival.



The speech of managers involves the use of a special dictionary. So, the individual usually acts for the leader as a simple “resource”, interchangeable and completely impersonal. People should value and pay for the opportunity given to them to work diligently as an IT specialist. Employees must respect the “values” of their generous companies.

In India, the majority of outsourced orders are quite elementary and do not require a high level of IQ or special skills. A standard IT employee needs to be submissive, able to obey, any individual impulse to independence and creativity is quickly suppressed. Training a newly arrived, young, inexperienced specialist turns out to be one of the key steps for processing a person into what meets the company's needs as much as possible. This training includes learning the language, gestures, posture of work, mode and methods of nutrition, rest, etc. That is, a full course on polishing a fighter for the future prosperity of the company (its bosses). This initial investment in a newbie is vital for Indian companies. For IT vacancies in India, an employee is expected to meet only two basic requirements: knowledge of English and secondary academic achievements. This is the stereotype of a novice programmer.

The perceptions of the privilege of IT workers are extremely exaggerated. They can hardly be called those who produce knowledge. In most cases, IT workers simply repeat the same operations, tasks, applying all existing forces and often being in the illusion that their work is amazing and free. They are trying to reject the fact of their own absolute interchangeability and the fact that there are thousands of others who are waiting in line for this replacement.

Due to the fragility of the situation, any public act of discontent ends for the employee with immediate dismissal. There are thousands of ways and a way to dismiss an employee, and getting rid of an “arrogant” employee is not at all a problem. Moreover, the dismissed employee immediately turns into a subject of corporate policy, turning out to be a negative example for every “good” creative IT specialist. The current situation in the global market for information support does not allow us to hope for an increase in salaries in the IT industry in India, which receives most of the orders from America under the outsourcing model. What is the reason why the myth of one’s own exclusivity and confidence in the future today is so firmly rooted in the heads of IT workers? What can wake them up? Questions for which there is no answer . "

The so-called “Knowledge based” work captivates with higher salaries (compared to the average salary in India). But exploitation is hidden behind elaborate names of “flexibility”, “opportunities” and “chances”. The “zeal” of a manager and / or employee seeking to overtake rivals and maintain a job in India often, as already noted, ends in death (suicide or heart attack). For example, this is the typical story of one of the many deaths that occurred at work and / or due to work:

“Bharat was an honest, hard worker, with a wonderful family. But his honesty turned out to be a huge weakness, which employers have successfully exploited. Bharat worked for one of the largest Indian companies, which, like all IT companies, promised its employees special advantages: high salaries and the opportunity to work abroad. “Special” advantages forced workers to work around the clock: they were afraid to be fired and hoped to get a promotion, a business trip abroad. One weekend, driven by managers, Bharat worked continuously for three days until his heart stopped due to a heart attack. This case was presented as an incident that happened due to personal inattention to one's own health, as well as personal greed (in the pursuit of extra money).

In this situation, it is impossible to prove the guilt of an individual manager, since this type of behavior is “inspired” by the entire corporate ideology. Employees do not have the opportunity and time to unite, form their own union. They work throughout the day and night, producing products in accordance with the deadlines set by managers. While the employee is paid a little higher than the cost of renting a tiny apartment, management takes the cream, having an income several times higher than the developer’s salary . "

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So, back to the question voiced in the title of the article: Who are IT workers in India actually today? What are they? The image of a free, independent, creative worker, providing humanity with new knowledge, developing new advanced technologies, seems too far from the portrait of an IT specialist who offers us the reality of the global market of the 2000-2010s. Work in the IT field is becoming more and more like a job of monotonously repeating the same operations, tasks, requirements. Work that excludes that “free flight of thought” and the uncontrolled production of knowledge, which theorists of cognitive capitalism so often talk about.

Armed with the myth of their own “bright personality” and / or fearing to lose an “enviable” workplace, IT professionals are in constant tension: they need to have time to complete the work task and maintain their own knowledge and skills “in good shape”, continuously monitoring technological changes. As a result, work activity becomes difficult to separate from rest and displaces all other spheres of life. The IT worker’s lifestyle and private night work (largely due to the difference in time zones between countries) make normal communication and support of relatives, friends and colleagues impossible. Weekends, as a rule, are used to finally get enough sleep (or work) and often pass in solitude. Arriving at work on Monday, the person again appears in the role of an easily interchangeable resource of the company.

Long and scattered working hours, constant unpaid processing, emotional exhaustion - these are the shortest list of IT industry problems in India (and in other countries). Problems that should be publicly and collectively raised, and not hushed up in the dense walls of personal depression, fear and irritation.

A.Kalk, for the IT Union .

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The article was prepared on the materials of the sites www.thehindu.com , www.deccanherald.com , www.ciol.com . The texts of Indian workers are translations of published copyrighted articles.