Rajasthan joins states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat, which have already increased the daily working hours with 48-hour of weekly cap and allow women to work night shifts with safeguards.
With the latest amendments in the Factories Act 1948 through state amendment, the Rajasthan Factories Amendment Bill, 2025, marks a significant reform in India’s labour laws framework.
Increase in daily work hours: Govt. now, through a notification, may increase the daily working hours up to TEN, inclusive of the rest interval. Earlier, it was only up to nine hours. However, the weekly maximum hours of work will remain the same as 48 hours. There is no change in this.
The impact of this change will be that in case in any factory, if a worker completes 48 hours of work in the first few days by working up to 10 hours daily, his remaining days will be treated as paid holidays without work. Or if the worker works on those extra days also, it will be treated as overtime. If the worker remains on paid holiday on such days, he will be entitled to wages for such days at a single rate, whereas if he works on such extra days, he will be paid overtime double the rate of wages. The consequence of such a change may lead to a four/ five-day work week wherever it is possible.
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Continuous working before Lunch break: The period of continuous working has now been increased from a maximum of five hours to six hours, which means if the worker is working for ten hours on any day, their continuous working before the interval may be a maximum of six hours.
Spread over period Increase: The spread over period has now been increased up to 12 hours. Earlier, it was up to 10.5 hours a day. Which means now workers can stay in the factory physically up to 12 hours.
Overtime Hours: Overtime hours have now been increased from fifty to one hundred in a quarter. Exemption can be granted up to 144 hours in a quarter.
Consent for Overtime Mandatory: For overtime, the consent of the worker is mandatory now. Earlier, it was not like this. If a worker refused, it was treated as misconduct. Now, refusal to do overtime will not be a misconduct or insubordination, or disobedience. Employers need to change the employment terms to include consent for overtime as a term of employment.
Women working at night permitted: By allowing women to work night shifts (with consent and safety measures) and introducing flexible working hours, this bill aims to balance gender equality, industrial productivity, and worker welfare. Women can now work between 7 PM – 6 AM with written consent. Employers must ensure transport, security, and workplace facilities for women employees. While it may boost job opportunities for women in manufacturing and related sectors, it may also increase substantial responsibility for compliance in respect of women’s safety on night shifts. In factories that are situated in outer areas, safety during night shift remains a challenge.
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