By way of a Notification dated March 3, 2022, the Governor of Punjab has formulated a Scheme under the Punjab Shops & Establishment Act, 1958 (‘PSA’) to grant exemptions to establishments from employing women in the nightshift (‘Scheme’). The Scheme provides that the exemption will be granted on a case-to-case basis, subject to, inter alia, the following conditions:
- The establishment must have a valid registration under PSA and must comply with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013;
- The total work hours of an employee must not exceed nine hours in a day and 48 hours in a week. Further, the spread over inclusive of interval for rest in the establishment must not exceed 12 hours on any one day and the total number of overtime hours must not exceed 50 hours in any quarter; and
- The employer must provide adequate security and proper transport facilities to its women workers including women employees of contractors, during the evening/night shifts in the manner prescribed by the Scheme.