After Maharashtra and Haryana, UP allows women on night shift in factories

Union labour ministry has long been urging state govs to change their laws to allow women work late nights

In a major labour reform decision, the Uttar Pradesh government has allowed women to work night shift in factories.

Even as existing laws and rules allow women employed in the Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITES) sector work the night shift, the same status had been missing for workwomen in factories. Several other states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Haryana had already allowed women to work night shifts in factories by amending relevant Acts.

The union labour ministry has long been impressing upon state governments to effect necessary changes in their laws to allow women work night shifts with a view to augmenting their participation in the overall workforce and offering them with equal job opportunities.

In India, women labour force participation rate (LFPR) has been pegged at 25 per cent against 75 per cent among men, as per labour bureau data. In Economic Survey 2015-16, the central government had expressed concern over fewer workwomen and stressed the need to for taking quick remedial steps. Besides, in recent years, there has been growing chorus from women employees and manufacturing units seeking a permit for women work night shifts.

UP labour and employment minister Swami Prasad Maurya said here the Yogi Adityanath government has been taking proactive steps for much-needed labour reforms with a view to attracting investment, boosting industrialisation and improving the doing business matrix in the state.

He informed the state government has sought the Presidential approval to amend 15 complex labour laws to liberalise the labour laws. Under the action plan, the small and medium enterprises had been exempted from factory act and contract labour act to allow them greater operational leeway. At the same time, the government has increased overtime duration for labour with regards to shops and factories.

Meanwhile, over 2 million unemployed were registered with the state employment exchange portal, apart from 8376 employers. The portal has labour database of over 4 million. The government has so far organised 626 job fairs, wherein over 61,000 participants were provided with employment, Maurya added.

“Over the next 5 years, the state government would facilitate employment to seven million youth, including 3.3 million jobs in the proposed defence corridor in Bundelkhand region,” he said.

Under the ongoing consolidation roadmap, the Adityanath had said it would disband those government schemes, which have outlived their utility. Besides, non-essential government posts would be abolished for a leaner and reflexive administrative machinery.

The government departments are customarily asked to abolish non-essential schemes and posts before the state Budget is prepared every year. However, it is never taken seriously and routinely brushed under the carpet. Last year, National Institution for Transforming India (Niti) Aayog had also suggested the state for reorganising state ministries and departments for better governance, accountability and swifter decision making.