In order to provide a safe environment for women at the workplace, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday, in an order, stated that no women worker can be bound to do the night shift in factories across the state.
"No female worker shall be bound to work without her written consent before 6 am and after 7 pm. The authorities will also have to provide free transportation, food, and sufficient supervision if working during the aforementioned hours," said the government circular.
As per the order, if the woman worker refuses to work before 6 am and after 7 pm, she would not be terminated from employment.
The UP labour department issued the state order to notify the decision late Friday night. It makes it clear that women workers will not be compelled to stay back for work beyond 7 pm and would not be called to work before 6 am without their written consent.
The government has notified the exemptions to women's workforce across all the mills and factories in the state.
"The onus of providing a secure working atmosphere to the women workers will lie with the employer to prevent an incident of sexual harassment in the workplace. Moreover, the GO makes it mandatory for the employer to inculcate a robust complaint mechanism in the factory in compliance with the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 or in any other related enactments", the order further stated.
