Gujarat has recorded a spurt of applications by top corporates, including MNCs, for permitting women to work in night shift. Till July this year, the state labour, skill development and employment department has received 79 applications from firms to allow women to work night shifts.
“Of these, 27 companies were given approval for employing women to work night shift while 46 applications were referred back for meeting various compliances. Six applications were rejected for not meeting criteria like pick-up and drop of women employees from doorstep and shift timing discrepancies and other factors,” sources in the department said.
“The department is promoting greater participation of women in the work force. Hence, there is an increase in applications for night shifts,” ACS, labour, skill development and employment, Anju Sharma said. ACS, labour, skill development and employment, Anju Sharma added, “However, it is essential for us to ensure the safety of women, hence we scrutinize the applications in detail for transport arrangements up to doorstep, CCTV installation, medical facilities, safe shift transition timings, etc.”
Officials said that the spurt in seeking approvals for night shift duties comes after the Gujarat govt modified rules of the factories act in 2023, allowing women to work night shifts provided various conditions are adhered to.
Sources in the govt said besides these applications made at the department level, a number of applications for permitting women to work in night shift (12 midnight to 7 am) have been received by district administration officials as well in the past seven months.
Transport arrangements at doorstep, along with other facilities for women employees are considered while granting permission for companies to allow women employees to work night shifts, sources said.
Some of the major companies whose applications for allowing women to work night shifts that have been approved include McCain Foods India, Reliance Industries, Nivea India, BEIL Infrastructure, Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries, Unilever India Exports, Britannia Industries, Welspun India, Nestle India, Tata Autocomp Gotion Green Energy Solutions, JSW MG Motor India, DCM Shriram, Tenneco Automotive India, Mundra Solar PV, and Marelli Motherson Automotive Lighting India.
According to the Labour Force Participation (LFPR) survey of the Union govt, the LFPR for Gujarat for the period Jan to March 2024 was 53.4%, as compared to the same period last year. Among females, the LFPR for the period January to March 2024 was 26.5% as compared to 24.7% for the same period last year. LFPR is the percentage of the working age population that is economically active and in the labour force.
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