Night shifts for women in factories in Punjab?

“We will soon have a meeting with Chief Minister P S Badal for his approval (with regard to allowing night shift for women in industry),” Punjab Principal Secretary (Industry and Commerce) S.S. Channy told reporters here on Wednesday.

“We have identified everything which included types of industries and we just need the nod of the CM in this regard,” he said during an entrepreneurs' meet.

The government intends to allow the third shift for women firstly in textile, spinning and garmenting sectors, Chany said.

Security guidelines for ensuring women's safety will be put in place before putting them on night shifts, he said.

The approval for allowing third shift for women will be given to individual units and not to the industry as a whole, the Principal Secretary said.

At present, women in the state are not allowed to work on night shifts under section 66 of the Factories Act.

Punjab’s industry has been demanding that women should be put on night duties in view of huge shortage of the work force.

A delegation, led by Vardhman Textiles Chairman S P Oswal, had even met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this year demanding an amendment in the Factories Act.