Context:
Supriya Sule, Member of Parliament from NCP (SP), has introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha as a Private Member’s Bill. The Bill seeks to safeguard employees from being compelled to respond to work-related communications beyond official working hours, addressing concerns arising from hyper-connectivity and work-life imbalance.
Key Highlights:
Legislative Proposal
- Introduced as the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025.
- Aims to legally empower employees to ignore work calls, emails, and messages after office hours.
- Seeks to protect leisure time, mental health, and family life.
Institutional Mechanism
- Proposes the establishment of an Employees’ Welfare Authority.
- Authority to:
- Conduct studies on work-life balance
- Negotiate terms for out-of-hours work
- Ensure overtime compensation
Penalties and Compliance
- Non-compliant employers to face a penalty of 1% of the employee’s total remuneration.
- Provision for counselling services and digital detox centres supported by the government.
Parallel Legislative Efforts
- Shashi Tharoor introduced the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeking similar protections.
Global Inspiration
- Draws from international practices in France and Portugal, where the Right to Disconnect is legally recognised.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Issue: Increasing intrusion of work into personal time due to digital technologies.
- Causes: Remote work culture, smartphone penetration, blurred work-life boundaries.
- Government/Legislative Initiatives: Right to Disconnect Bill, OSH Code Amendment Bill.
- Benefits: Improved mental health, reduced burnout, enhanced productivity.
- Challenges: Enforcement difficulties, resistance from private employers, informal sector coverage.
- Impact: Recognition of employee well-being as a governance and social justice concern.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Facts & Definitions:
- Right to Disconnect: Legal right to disengage from work-related communications outside working hours.
- Private Member’s Bill: Introduced by a non-minister MP; limited chances of enactment (only 14 passed so far).
- Keywords & Concepts: Work-life balance, digital labour rights, occupational health, mental well-being.
- Static + Conceptual Linkages:
- Directive Principles related to humane conditions of work.
- Governance reforms focusing on labour welfare.
- Way Forward:
- Integrate right to disconnect within existing labour codes.
- Encourage organizational self-regulation and flexible work policies.
- Gradual expansion to cover gig and informal workers.
UPSC Relevance (GS-wise):
- GS Paper II: Polity – Parliamentary processes; Governance – Labour reforms; Social Justice – Workers’ rights
- Prelims: Private Member’s Bills, labour rights, comparative global practices