The Government of India will soon offer corporate houses the flexibility to choose a shorter four-day work week, albeit with longer shifts.
The weekly 48-hour work limit will stay but employers will be able to deploy people on four, 12-hour workdays per week; or five, around 10-hour days; or six, eight-hour days, labour secretary Apurva Chandra told reporters on Monday.
The provision will be part of the labour code, and once the new rules are implemented, employers will no longer be required to seek government permission to shift to a four- or a five-day working week if their employees approve the arrangement.
Companies will have to give three days’ of paid leaves and 12 hours of work per day to their employees with the consent of the workers, said Labour and Employment Secretary Apurva Chandra said on Monday.
“We are not forcing employees or employers. It gives flexibility. It’s an enabling provision in sync with the changing work culture. We have tried to make some changes. We have tried to give flexibility in working days,” he said. The draft rules under the labour codes are in the final stage and most states were in the process of framing their rules and some, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, would be ready with their drafts this week, Chandra added.
“It (working days) could come down below five. If it is four, then you have to provide three paid holidays…so if it has to be a seven day week, then it has to be divided into 4 or 5 or 6 working days. Under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 draft rules, the limit of working hours for a week were 48 hours. This limit was sacrosanct and that employers and workers would have to agree to a change in working days. It cannot be forced,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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