Fadnavis allows night shifts for women workers

Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced several amendments to the Factories Act, 1948 in which he has cleared the deck for women to work in night shifts from 7pm to 6am, easing work conditions for labour and preventing inspectors from harassing factory owners over minor issues. 

Fadnavis said, while there were objections raised as to why women were being discriminated from not allowing night shift, the onus to ensure security would be mandatory for the institutions under the Act.

Subhash Desai, state industries minister said, several labour union leaders and politicians had made this demand, and so we have decided to allow women in factories to work post 7 pm. The companies making women employees work night shifts will have to provide for their security. In sectors such as information technology, women are anyway known to work long hours and night shifts.

Desai said the state government decided to make these changes as per the guidelines of the Union government, and states such as Rajasthan have already permitted women to work in night shifts.

In a move that will take 14,300 small units across the state out of the purview of the Factories Act, the government also decided to redefine the criteria for factories bound by the legislation.

These small industries are currently employing close to 1.90 lakh workers, a press statement from the chief minister’s office said.

Currently, all factories that use electricity and employ 10 or more workers or all such factories not running on electricity but employing 20 or more labourers fall under the jurisdiction of the Factories Act. The government has decided to change this criterion for factories running with and without electricity to 20 and 40, respectively.

Fadnavis said, “We have decided to waive this clearance in the interest of workers. Earlier, factories would not take such a clearance but still make employees work overtime without compensating them.”