A Hyderabad-based IT professional has taken legal action against his former US-based multinational employer, alleging extreme workplace exploitation, unpaid overtime, and retaliatory termination.
Sridhar Merugu, a 45-year-old software employee with 14 years of service in the company, claims he was forced to work up to 16 hours a day for months without additional compensation and was dismissed within days of formally raising concerns about labour law violations.
After approaching the National Human Rights Commission, Merugu has now filed a complaint with the Telangana Labour Department seeking payment of pending overtime dues, statutory interest, and penalties. Labour officials have acknowledged receiving the complaint and are examining the matter, while employee rights advocates argue that such cases expose the absence of effective grievance redressal mechanisms in India’s organised sector.
The company in question has not yet issued any public statement. The controversy has sparked a broader debate about work culture in India’s corporate environment, where long working hours are often normalised, and employees fear losing their jobs if they speak out.
Forced To Choose Between Health And Job
Merugu’s complaint paints a disturbing picture of the pressures faced by many professionals in India’s technology industry. According to him, what began as occasional extended shifts gradually became a routine expectation, with management allegedly demanding continuous availability due to “resource shortages.”
For nearly three to four months, he claims, he was compelled to work more than 16 hours a day, including on sick days, without overtime pay or allowances for late-night and early-morning shifts. “It is impossible to physically or mentally work for so many hours. Also, when companies charge clients by the hour, why shouldn’t employees be paid accordingly?” he asked in an interview.
He further alleged that when he formally raised the issue and sought rightful compensation, the response was swift and punitive his employment was terminated within a week. Such accounts, labour experts say, highlight a worrying trend where corporate policies on paper do not match the realities on the ground.
Although Indian labour laws mandate overtime pay and reasonable working conditions, many employees are reluctant to complain due to fear of blacklisting or losing future career opportunities. Officials from the Telangana Labour Department have confirmed that the case is under review, but declined to comment further while investigations are ongoing.
A Symptom Of A Larger Workplace Culture
Merugu’s ordeal is not an isolated incident but part of a larger conversation about the erosion of work-life balance in India’s corporate ecosystem. In recent years, debates over extreme work hours have intensified, especially after prominent industry leaders publicly advocated for longer workweeks in the name of productivity.
At the same time, state governments have introduced regulatory changes permitting extended daily work shifts, provided overtime is paid measures that critics say risk being misused. The Telangana High Court has also recently observed that software employees often fall into a grey area with inadequate social security protections and limited avenues to challenge unfair practices.
Many industry insiders admit that unpaid overtime has become alarmingly common, particularly in the post-pandemic era when remote working blurred boundaries between personal and professional life. Santosh Kumar, an IT professional with nearly 30 years of experience, echoed these concerns, saying, “Working even on weekends and holidays without pay became very common.
Everyone knows this but chooses to turn a blind eye. If employees refuse, they are threatened with termination.” Such testimonies suggest that the imbalance of power between employers and employees has grown sharper, leaving workers with little bargaining strength even in the so-called organised sector. What should be an exception extra work during emergencies has slowly turned into an unspoken rule.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
This case is a stark reminder that economic progress loses meaning when it is built on burnout, fear, and the silencing of legitimate employee concerns. No organisation, however large or successful, should treat human beings as expendable resources. Respect for labour laws is not a favour granted by employers it is a fundamental obligation.
The growing number of complaints about unpaid overtime and punishing work schedules shows that India urgently needs stronger enforcement mechanisms, independent grievance redressal systems, and corporate cultures that prioritise wellbeing over unchecked profits.
Employees must feel safe to raise issues without the constant threat of retaliation, and companies must recognise that sustainable success is possible only when workers are treated with dignity and fairness. The responsibility also lies with regulators and policymakers to ensure that labour protections keep pace with changing workplace realities.
