CPM wants night shifts for women to be voluntary

UPA government's decision to push through the Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2005, which allows night shifts for women in factories and establishments, in the current session of Parliament has hit a roadblock with the CPI(M) insisting on several changes in its provisions.

According to Left sources, the Bill makes it mandatory for women to accept night shifts. But the CPI(M) would like it to be voluntary so that women who have a "dual responsibility" of household should also have the discretion to refuse to work in the night.

The CPI(M)-backed trade union CITU and All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) have reservations about several other provisions in the Bill, which will be of great benefit to special economic zones, export processing zones, textiles sector, information technology sector and, especially, the call centres.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee held discussions with CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury on this issue today, but the deadlock remains. CPI(M) Politburo member and AIDWA leader Brinda Karat will get back to the government on the issue on Tuesday.

The minister was learnt to have argued that the Bill provided for enough safeguards for women working in night shifts, but the Left leader said that the government should first go through the "concrete suggestions" to be proffered by Karat.

Senior CPI(M) leader and CITU president MK Pandhe said that the CITU was not opposed to the Bill per se, but adequate safeguards had to be provided to women working in the night.

"Allowing women to work in night shifts is against the ILO convention. The government should not try to push the Bill without discussions with trade unions," he said.

The Bill to amend Section 66 of the Factory Act, 1948, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August last year, is meant to allow women to work at night with "adequate safety, dignity and transportation from factory premises to the nearest point from residence."

The Left leaders want the onus for providing security to women workers to lie with the employers.

AIDWA activists want "sexual harassment" to replace "dignity and honour", which, they argue, is legally ambiguous. They also want the employers to provide creche at workplace and transportation facility from the workplace to the residence and "not to the nearest point."