Women allowed to work in Night Shifts in Odisha; Consent Letter MUST

TNI Bureau: Odisha government has decided to allow the women employees to work in night shifts in their respective offices but only with their consent.

The Labour and ESI Department has issued the following safety guidelines and protocols to be followed while allowing the women employees to work in night shifts.

• The consent of women employees willing to work at night shall be taken in writing:
• There shall be at least three women employees, which may include onsite woman employer, if any;
• Adequate transportation facilities with GPS tracking system to pick-up and drop women employees at or near their residence shall be provided;
• The establishment shall obtain Bio-data and Police verification of each driver of the night transportation vehicle, whether employed directly or through service provider;
• The employer shall provide toilet or washroom and drinking water facilities near the work place where such women employees are employed, with provisions of closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance and proper lighting including the passages towards conveniences;
• Dedicated telephone numbers of the establishment along with Government Toll-free Helpline number for Women (181) and Labour & ESI Department Helpline number 18003456703 shall be displayed prominently and conspicuously at the establishment and inside vehicles used for transportation of workers;
• The employer shall ensure that there shall not be less than eight consecutive hours of rest between the last shift and the night shift, whenever the duty of a woman employee is changed from day shift to night shift and vice versa;
• The provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (14 of 2023), as applicable to the establishment, shall be complied with;
• Any Employer engaging women employees during night, shall submit a Self-certification in the prescribed proforma, electronically, in the designated portal of the Department, that he/she has provided all the facilities as mentioned in this Notification and shall take due care and diligence regarding the safety, security and dignity of women employees;
• No adolescent shall be allowed to work whether as an employee or otherwise in any establishment during night;
• If any establishment fails to comply with the above conditions, it shall be liable for penalty under section 35 of the Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1956.