SHOMA PATNAIK | NT
PANAJI
The inspectorate of factories and boilers is likely to consider afresh industry’s demand for allowing women to work beyond 7 pm in factories and manufacturing processes.
The demand is primarily from local pharmaceutical and food processing units, which are asking for women workers to be permitted to work late hours and in night shifts. At present, women have a time limit between 6 am and 7 pm.
Chief Inspector, Factories and Boilers, Vivek Marathe said that keeping in view the industry’s demand, a proposal will be drafted and forwarded to the government. “The proposal will first be forwarded to the law department, mostly by June-end,” said Marathe. He said that the department officials will be taking guidance from the neighbouring state of Maharashtra where women are permitted to work in night shifts and where the state has amended the Factories Act for the purpose.
This is the second time a proposal to allow women to work in night shift is under consideration in Goa. In February 2016, a draft notification was prepared for the same and kept open for public suggestions. However, opposition to the notification led to the government rejecting the idea. The opposition was on account of concerns over women’s safety, security and transport facilities (during night hours). The concern was also that companies would force women to work in night shifts despite their unwillingness to do so.
While the government can allow women to work up to 10 pm through modifications in the state factory rules, extending the time limit beyond 10 pm is beyond its authority. It requires changes in central legislation vide an amendment to Section 66 of the Factories Act and permission from the Ministry of Labour. “The process to amend Section 66 requires several stages and we will be starting it all over again,” said Marathe.
Goa’s pharmaceutical industry is demanding late work hours and night shifts for women on claims of “increasing production” and to improve the employment chances of local pharmaceutical graduates, who are mostly women. The industry says that it is thanks to the lack of local workforce, they are forced to take in non-Goan (male) workers.
“Representatives from the industry will soon be meeting the Chief Minister with their demand,” said Sanjay Priolkar, president, Goa Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (GPMA). He said that other neighbouring states permit women to work at night and it must also be allowed in Goa.
However, with the government rejecting an earlier proposal of the industry on night shifts for women, it remains to be seen how successful the industry will be in getting its demand accepted this time.