Bengaluru: The In a decision of far reaching impact, the state government on Wednesday amended the rules of the Karnataka Factories Act to allow women to work night shifts. With this, the impediment in the present law has been removed and women can now work round- the- clock in factories in Karnataka.
The government order (GO) issued by the labour department on Wednesday following labour minister, S. Suresh Kumar’s green signal for it, is a huge step forward considering the controversy that had erupted a year ago over women working in night shifts in BPOs and IT companies in the state.
Going by the GO, women will be deputed to work in batches and on any given shift, their strength cannot be less than two -third of the total workforce. The order has also made it mandatory for factories to have women security and attendants at hand for medical emergencies. On night shifts in particular, one- third of the supervisors should be women and there must be at least two women wardens present as well.
Importantly, women cannot be put on a night shift without their consent. While giving women the liberty to work at all hours in factories, the order has taken measures for their safety as well by laying down rules against sexual harassment in the workforce in accordance with the Vishaka guidelines of the Supreme Court and insisting on factories sending fortnightly reports to the labour department. As of now, women are allowed to work night shifts only in the IT and IT-enabled service sectors in the state.
With this notification, women will allowed to work during night in other sectors including manufacturing.
