Uttar Pradesh Empowers Women Workers with Night Shift Option Under New Safety Regulations

The Uttar Pradesh government has implemented a significant policy change allowing women employees to work night shifts with written consent, empowering female workers while ensuring their safety and welfare.

Lucknow:

The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a progressive measure enabling women employees to participate in night shifts after providing written consent, while simultaneously implementing comprehensive safety and welfare protocols spanning from home to workplace environments, officials announced on Wednesday.

This new provision became effective following President Droupadi Murmu's approval of the Uttar Pradesh Factories Amendment Act in early October, which was subsequently published as an official gazette notification, according to a statement released by the chief minister's public relations team.

Under this revised regulation, women are permitted to work between 7 pm and 6 am after submitting written consent, which must be formally registered with the labor department.

Employers have received strict directives to provide transportation, health facilities, CCTV surveillance systems, and security personnel deployment for women working night shifts.

The initiative aims to boost women's confidence and increase their participation across industrial and corporate sectors.

The government has also expanded the permissible overtime for women workers from 75 hours to 144 hours per quarter, with compensation calculated at twice the normal wage rate.

"This represents more than an administrative decision—it's a substantial step toward gender equality and enhancing women's safety," remarked a senior labor department official.

This policy change allows women to work continuously for up to six hours without breaks and expands their employment opportunities even within hazardous industrial categories.

Previously, women were restricted to only 12 hazardous categories, but now they can work across all 29 hazardous sectors, according to officials.

To maintain transparency and ensure safety, industries have been instructed to implement digital monitoring systems and appoint dedicated safety officers responsible for women's security during night shifts.

With women constituting approximately 36 percent of the state's workforce, the government anticipates this measure will further increase female participation across various sectors.

Over one crore women are already engaged with self-help groups throughout the state, making significant contributions to household incomes and local industries.

The government has strengthened women's safety infrastructure through various initiatives including the 1090 Women Power Line, 112 Helpline, 1,694 Anti-Romeo squads, and more than 9,000 dedicated women police beats under the Safe City Project.

Uttar Pradesh currently maintains the highest conviction rate for crimes against women at 71 percent—significantly above the national average of 18 percent—underscoring the state's zero-tolerance stance on gender-based offenses.

Officials stated that these latest labor reforms align with the government's broader vision promoting industrial modernization, gender equality, and women-led economic growth.