UP Government Implements New Night Shift Policy for Women Workers with Enhanced Safety and Double Pay

Women employees in Uttar Pradesh will now be permitted to work up to six days weekly during night shifts.

Lucknow:

The Yogi Adityanath government has implemented a groundbreaking policy allowing women in Uttar Pradesh to work night shifts between 7 pm and 6 am, provided they give their consent. This significant development aims to enhance female participation in the workforce across the state.

According to the new directive, women can now work in 29 categories of hazardous industries previously restricted to them. This progressive initiative by the Yogi administration seeks to empower women professionally and economically.

The official Gazette order stipulates that employers must guarantee women's safety, appropriate compensation, and adequate workplace facilities during night hours. The mandate includes double wages, comprehensive CCTV surveillance, transportation arrangements, and security personnel to ensure a protected working environment.

Under the new regulations, women employees can work for a maximum of six days per week. Additionally, the overtime allowance has been expanded from 75 hours to 144 hours quarterly, with compensation calculated at double the standard wage rate.

In a related development last month, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta praised her government's decision to permit women to work night shifts in shops and commercial establishments throughout the national capital, describing it as a necessary step toward workplace gender equality.

In a statement to ANI, Rekha Gupta expressed, "I'm amazed to think why women were denied the right to work from 9 pm to 7 am. We have repealed it. Now women can work at any time as per their convenience." This policy change was formalized through a notification from the Lieutenant Governor, amending provisions in the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954. The initiative, first announced by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in July, has been officially notified by the Labour Department.