T.N. Bill seeks to exempt factories from working hour norms

The Tamil Nadu government has tabled a Bill in the Assembly, seeking to include a provision in the Factories Act, 1948, to empower itself to exempt any factory or group of factories from certain provisions of the Act which deal with the working hours of adults. According to the Bill, the decision to amend the Act followed representations from many industries and industry associations “to bring out working hour reforms, by making a statutory provision for flexible working hours, citing the number of benefits it could bring to workers, especially women employees, the industry and the economy as a whole.” Though the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, has been enacted by the Government of India in September 2020, it is yet to be brought into force through notification, pointed out the Bill tabled by Minister for Labour Welfare and Skill Development C.V. Ganesan. As per Section 51, no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work in a factory for more than 48 hours in any week and Section 52 says no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work in a factory on the first day of the week unless certain conditions were fulfilled. Section 54 talks about ‘daily hours’ and says subject to the provisions of Section 51, no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work in a factory for more than nine hours in any day unless certain conditions were met. The periods of work of an adult worker in a factory shall be so arranged that inclusive of his intervals for rest under Section 55, they shall not spread over more than ten-and-a-half hours in any day unless certain conditions are met, as per Section 56 which deals about ‘spread over’.