Karnataka To Allow Non-IT Sector Women Employees To Also Work Night Shifts
However, it comes with several conditions to ensure the safety of female employees
Mumbai: The Karnataka cabinet on Monday approved an amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act to allow women to work in night shifts.
However, employers must seek written consent from women willing to work at night and facilitate transportation. In particular, women employees in the IT and ITES sectors have been allowed to work in night shifts since 2002.
“The Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2019 will be introduced in the next session of the legislature,” Law Minister JC Madhuswamy told reporters.
“There was no provision for women to work in the night shift. This resulted in a lack of opportunities. Therefore, the law is being amended to allow women to work. We have specified security measures that need to be provided, ”he said.
However, it comes with several conditions to ensure the safety of female employees.
First, employers must obtain the written consent of women prepared to work at night. They have to provide transport facility to and from the female employee’s residence to the workplace and back; Transportation facility must have GPS tracking.
Section 25 of the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act prohibits women from working at night. However, in 2002 the IT and ITeS sectors were exempted.
In November this year, the Labor Department issued a notification allowing women to work night shifts (7 to 6 pm) in all factories registered with the government. With this, the government opened up the manufacturing sector to work for women.
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