Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan, who recently caused a row online for his 90-hour work week remark, has voiced another controversial opinion sparking another debate. Subramanyan while speaking at the CII's Mystic South Global Linkages Summit 2025 in Chennai on Tuesday opined that Indian labourers are unwilling to leave the comfort of their home for work. He attributed the decreasing mobilisation of labourers to improving the local economy and government welfare schemes like MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act).
Subrahmanyan said, “Labourers are not willing to move for opportunities. Maybe their local economy is doing well or maybe it’s due to the various government schemes. He added that this shortage of labour could have a severe impact on India’s infrastructure projects.
The 64-year-old chairman further stated that this issue has extended beyond construction labourers to engineering professionals. He said, "When I joined L&T in 1983, my boss said, if you are from Chennai, you go to Delhi and work. Today if I take a guy from Chennai and tell him to go to Delhi and work, he says bye."
Subrahmanyan also emphasised India's high construction attrition rates, claiming that while L&T requires 4 lakh workers, it must employ 16 lakh individuals each year due to frequent job changes.
Another major problem he voiced was salary discrepancy, pointing out that Middle Eastern countries lure Indian labor by paying 3 to 3.5 times more than they do in India. He underlined the importance of aligning pay with inflation in order to retain talent within the country.
90-Hour Work Week Remark
Subrahmanyan had previously sparked an online outrage with his comments suggesting employees should work 90 hours a week including Sundays. On being asked, why are L&T employees asked to work on Saturdays despite being a top conglomerate?” In response, the chairman says, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be happier, because I work on Sundays also.”
Mr Subrahmanyan questioned the employees on what they were getting for taking time off at home on Sundays. “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working”, he said.
