<p>The government is actively considering amending the Factories Act 1948 to make provisions for women to work in night shifts and increase the limit for overtime hours. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Significantly, there would be provisions in the amendment empowering the Centre to legislate on subjects that so far remained the states’ prerogative.<br /><br /> Minister of state for labour and employment Visnu Deo Sai told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that amendment is being proposed in the Act “relating to permission for employment of women for night work for a factory or group or class or description of factories with adequate safeguards for safety and provision of transportation till the doorstep of their residence”.<br /><br />The amendment would also propose to extend the limit of overtime hours from 50 to 100 per quarter, pushing the limit further to a maximum of 125 hours per quarter in public interest with the approval of state government. <br /><br />Central empowerment<br /><br />The minister said while only the state governments are empowered to frame rules under the Factories Act now, the amendment proposes to empower the central government also to frame regulations under the Act on certain important provisions.<br /><br /> The amendments will include reduction in the eligibility criteria for entitlement of annual leave with wages from 240 days to 90 days, prohibition of employment of pregnant women and persons with disabilities on or near machinery in motion and cotton openers and introduction of new terms like “hazardous substance” and “disability” to existing definitions.<br />The amendment would stipulate factories with 200 or more workers to have canteen facilities, while the existing rules provide for the facility only in factories with 250 or more employees. <br /></p>
<p>The government is actively considering amending the Factories Act 1948 to make provisions for women to work in night shifts and increase the limit for overtime hours. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Significantly, there would be provisions in the amendment empowering the Centre to legislate on subjects that so far remained the states’ prerogative.<br /><br /> Minister of state for labour and employment Visnu Deo Sai told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that amendment is being proposed in the Act “relating to permission for employment of women for night work for a factory or group or class or description of factories with adequate safeguards for safety and provision of transportation till the doorstep of their residence”.<br /><br />The amendment would also propose to extend the limit of overtime hours from 50 to 100 per quarter, pushing the limit further to a maximum of 125 hours per quarter in public interest with the approval of state government. <br /><br />Central empowerment<br /><br />The minister said while only the state governments are empowered to frame rules under the Factories Act now, the amendment proposes to empower the central government also to frame regulations under the Act on certain important provisions.<br /><br /> The amendments will include reduction in the eligibility criteria for entitlement of annual leave with wages from 240 days to 90 days, prohibition of employment of pregnant women and persons with disabilities on or near machinery in motion and cotton openers and introduction of new terms like “hazardous substance” and “disability” to existing definitions.<br />The amendment would stipulate factories with 200 or more workers to have canteen facilities, while the existing rules provide for the facility only in factories with 250 or more employees. <br /></p>
