Private Member Bill on Right to Disconnect

Brief Context

Context A private member bill “Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025”, reintroduced in the Lok Sabha. What is Right to Disconnect? The Right to Disconnect refers to an employee’s right to not engage in work-related communications—such as calls, emails, or messages—outside official working hours.

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Syllabus: GS2/Polity

Context

• A private member bill “Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025”, reintroduced in the Lok Sabha.

What is Right to Disconnect?

• The Right to Disconnect refers to an employee’s right to not engage in work-related communications—such as calls, emails, or messages—outside official working hours.
• It aims to protect workers from excessive digital connectivity and ensure a healthy work–life balance.

Key Features of the Bill

• The draft legislation proposes giving workers the legal right to ignore official communication outside designated working hours without facing disciplinary action.

The Bill mandates following Rights: 

• Right to refuse after-hours calls, messages and emails without repercussions.
• Setting up an Employees’ Welfare Authority to implement and monitor the right to disconnect.
• A national baseline study to assess digital communication burdens on employees outside work hours.
• Mandatory negotiations between companies with more than 10 workers and employees/unions to frame work rules performed beyond office hours, which would qualify for overtime at normal wages.
• Counselling services and digital detox centres to be established in coordination with the government.
• Penalties for companies that violate the provisions, up to 1% of their total employee remuneration.

Countries Having the Law

• Australia recently enacted the laws for the right to disconnect in 2024.
  • By enacting this law, Australia joined about two dozen other countries, mainly in Europe and Latin America, that have similar regulations. 
• France was one of the pioneers in implementing its right to disconnect in 2017. 

Status in India

• India does not have specific laws recognising the right to disconnect from work. 
• Article 38 of the Constitution mandates that “the State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people”. 
• Article 39(e) of the Directive Principles of State Policy directs the state to direct its policy towards securing the strength and health of its workers.

Source: IE