Moonlighting is unethical and against Employer Interest: Labour Minister
HIGHLIGHTS:
- BJP MP Sumalatha Ambareesh sought for the government stand
- Rameshwar Teli, minister of state for labour and employment address the issue
- Moonlighting is against Employer Interest
- Infosys sacked 300 moonlighting employees
- Few companies favours moonlighting.
Moonlighting is against Employer Interest: Labour Minister
During the winter session of parliament, BJP MP Sumalatha Ambareesh sought the government’s position on corporate moonlighting, which was cited as a major reason for employee layoffs in IT firms.
To addressing this query, Rameshwar Teli, minister of state for labour and employment informed the Parliament that employee should not take up any type of work against the interest of their employers as per the legal framework.
“Moonlighting” is the practice of a full-time employee, taking additional jobs without their employer’s consent or knowledge. The concept of moonlighting was popularized during and after the COVID-19 period, and the issue is of public concern, specifically in the IT sector.
In his written reply to Lok Sabha, Rameswar Teli, minister of state for labour and employment, stated that as per the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946, a workman shall not at any time (type of) work against the interest of the industrial establishment in which he is employed and shall not take any employment in addition to his job in the establishment, that may adversely affect the interest of his employer.
In Parliament, the government stated that employees must not perform any work that is detrimental to the employer’s interests in addition to their regular job, as required by law. There are no further points for debate in the parliament on this subject.
‘Moonlighting’ become the hot topic, when in September, 2022, Infosys, CEO, Salil Parekh, confirmed the 300 employee terminations on the grounds of “extra” work (moonlighting)for Infosys competitors.
Previously, Infosys stated that moonlighting is against the company’s employees’ code of conduct and is strictly prohibited with the deciphered taglines “No two-timing, no moonlighting,” and “No double lives.”
Further, CEO, Salil Parekh asserted that Infosys has looked to develop comprehensive policies that may support employees in taking up external gig opportunities. He added, “ For gig opportunities in the external environment, we support the aspirations of our employees to learn beyond work.”
However, there have been a few companies, such as Zomato, Swiggy, and Tech Mahindra, that favor moonlighting.
