India’s biggest IT employees’ union has fired a fresh salvo at the Centre. The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) wants the Modi government to make work from home compulsory across the IT and ITeS sector. The demand comes straight after the Prime Minister’s nationwide call to save fuel amid the West Asia crisis. The trigger is real. The stakes are huge.
NITES Writes to Labour Ministry Seeking Urgent WFH Advisory
On May 11, 2026, NITES sent a formal letter to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The union wants an official advisory that forces IT companies to roll out remote work “wherever operationally feasible” for a defined period.
The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has written to the Ministry of Labour and Employment seeking a government advisory mandating work from home (WFH) for the IT and IT-enabled services (IT/ITES) sector, citing fuel conservation, traffic reduction and broader national interest concerns.
NITES President Harpreet Singh Saluja made the union’s intent crystal clear. “The intention is not confrontation with employers, but collective national cooperation,” NITES President Harpreet Singh Saluja said in a statement.
“The statement was not merely an operational suggestion. It was a national call for collective responsibility during a sensitive period where reducing fuel dependency, traffic burden, and unnecessary consumption becomes part of contributing towards national interest.”
— NITES letter to Labour Ministry
Why the Demand Now: Modi’s Fuel-Saving Appeal Sparks Action
The NITES request is a direct response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent austerity appeal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to citizens to adopt a series of measures, including considering working from home, reducing fuel consumption, postponing foreign travel, limiting edible oil use, and avoiding gold purchases, as India faces mounting economic pressure from the ongoing global energy crisis and rising crude oil prices. Addressing a gathering in Hyderabad after inaugurating multiple development projects, Modi said the country must act responsibly at a time when India imports more than 88% of the crude oil it processes and global supply chains continue to remain strained due to the conflict in West Asia.
The Prime Minister doubled down on the message the very next day in Gujarat. “If the COVID pandemic was the biggest crisis of this century, then the circumstances created by the war in West Asia are one of the major crises of this decade,” PM Modi said.
The numbers behind the urgency are sobering:
- Brent crude has spiked above $105 per barrel due to the Strait of Hormuz blockade
- India’s IT industry employs nearly 5.8 million people across the country.
- India currently has 60 days of crude oil, 60 days of natural gas and 45 days of LPG rolling stock, with foreign exchange reserves valued at $703 billion.
- Around 1,500 ships remain stranded in the Gulf region
Pandemic Playbook: Why NITES Says WFH Will Work Again
The union’s strongest argument is rooted in recent history. NITES says the Indian IT industry already passed its biggest stress test during COVID-19. Software firms, BPOs, customer support centres and multinational delivery teams kept the lights on for global clients for years from people’s living rooms.
“The experience of the pandemic has clearly established that mandatory work from home in suitable IT roles is practical, technologically feasible and operationally sustainable,” NITES said in its May 11 letter.
The union has also raised a human angle that hits home for lakhs of techies stuck in daily traffic.
“Employees in metropolitan cities spend several hours daily travelling despite performing work that can effectively be delivered remotely,” NITES said. “This not only impacts physical and mental health, but also results in avoidable fuel usage and environmental burden.”
Office Mandates vs Remote Push: Where Top IT Firms Stand
Here is where the conflict gets sharp. Over the past two years, India’s biggest tech companies have aggressively pushed staff back to office desks. A government advisory could shake those policies overnight.
| Company | Current Office Policy |
|---|---|
| TCS | 5 days a week from office, mandatory |
| Infosys | Minimum 10 days a month in office |
| Wipro | 3 days a week from office |
Industry body Nasscom has taken a careful middle path. “In light of the ongoing Middle East tensions, companies have adopted prudent energy management measures across campuses, including optimising non-essential consumption, rationalising select facility services, and enabling remote or hybrid work where operationally appropriate to reduce overall energy usage and commuting,” Nasscom said.
With over 3,500 member companies, Nasscom represents India’s USD 315-billion technology industry. Its statement signals that the industry will cooperate, but does not want a forced mandate from Delhi.
Mixed Reactions From Employees and Government Silence
The proposal has split the workforce. Some techies are cheering the chance to ditch long commutes. Others fear losing the daily structure they finally rebuilt after the pandemic.
Among employees, however, opinions remain sharply divided. While some welcomed the possibility of returning to the comfort of working from home, many argued that a prolonged WFH culture negatively affects productivity, collaboration and work-life balance.
Key takeaway: NITES is not asking for a blanket lockdown-style WFH. The request applies only to roles that can be delivered remotely without hurting business continuity.
As of now, the Centre has stayed silent. The government has not yet issued any official advisory. The request asks for WFH to be implemented “wherever operationally feasible” — so even if approved, it would not be a blanket mandate for every IT role.
Meanwhile, the political heat is rising. Opposition leaders have accused the government of failing to secure India’s energy interests, while social media users questioned the optics of huge VIP convoys following the PM’s fuel-saving message.
The next few days will decide whether India’s tech corridors return to the quiet hum of home Wi-Fi or stay loud with the rush of cab horns. For 5.8 million IT professionals, the outcome will reshape not just their daily routine but their relationship with the office desk itself. The country is watching, the union has spoken, and the ball is now in the Labour Ministry’s court. Share your thoughts in the comments below. Are you ready for WFH 2.0, or do you prefer the office grind? Tell us using #WFHForIndia on X and Instagram.
