Law To Be Amended To Allow Women To Work At Night

Karnataka plans to amend the law to allow women to work in night shifts in shops as well as commercial establishments across the state, according to an official.

The Karnataka state cabinet has decided to introduce an amendment to the Karnataka Shops & Commercial Establishments Act. The bill will be placed during the first legislature session of 2020 from February 17 to February 21 and passed in its budget session from March 2,” the official stated.

However, the law permits the burgeoning info-tech industry to employ women in the night shift across Karnataka since Section 25 of the Act was amended in 2002 to exempt info-tech and info-tech enabled firms which operate 24x7 for global clients.

Since Section 25 which allows women work in night shift was not applicable to non-IT companies, women could not be employed by companies in other sectors, including manufacturing, shops and commercial firms, the Karnataka state law department official stated.

As in the case of the IT industry, companies employing women in night shifts will have to ensure their safety and security, including transportation to their homes, using company vehicles fitted with global positioning systems (GPS).

The Karnataka State's Labor Department will give permission to companies in the manufacturing sector to employ women on night shifts.

In November, the labor department had notified that factories may allow women to work on night shift from 7 pm. to 6 am with adequate safety measures.