Night Shift For Women :- Dignity, Honour and Safety

Night Shift For Women

Dignity, Honour & Safety

Introduction

Right when women have broken the inappropriate limitation in every way that really matters evolving establishments, there shall be no legitimate explanation behind any organisation to diminish them from working at night shifts in certain sectors. She who prior remained at home to go to her residential obligations is presently keeping up work and home all the while, partaking during the time spent financial improvement on an equivalent balance with men.

The General Conference of ILO in June 1990 had adopted a protocol known as Protocol of 1990 under those provisions the competent authority in a country under its national laws and regulations is authorized to rectify the duration of the night shifts or to introduce exemptions from ban on night works for women for certain branches of activity or occupations.

Indian Scenario

Countless measures have furthermore been set up to guarantee the “dignity, honour and safety”, of women workers by statutes custodians.

• The Hon'ble High Court of Mumbai in its judgment dated 10th June 1999 passed an interim order allowing deployment of women in Santacruz Electronic Export Processing Zones (SEEPZ) in the night shift.
• The High Court of Tamil Nadu and the High Court of Andhra Pradesh in their judgements have struck down section 66(1)(b) of the Factories Act, 1948 as unconstitutional. 

The Central Government keeping in view the suggestions of Supreme Court of India, judgments of various High Courts, proposals of Women’s Organizations, Trade Unions and National Commission on Labour, recommendations of Standing Committee on Labour and Welfare and he present economic scenario, satisfied the ILO 'Protocol of 1990' and amended the Factories Act 1948 including Section 66 there so that women could work in night shifts in factories between 7 PM and 6 AM in India. For the purpose of amending the Factories Act, 1948 so as to allow women to work in the night shifts, the Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2005 was introduced by Union Government in Lok Sabha on 10th August 2005, which envisages that the employer ensures occupational safety and adequate protections to the women employed.

A survey shows -

• Insecurity is found more in leather (45%) and textiles (34%) industry. It is much less in hospitals (14%). It is found least in BPOs (only 8%). It shows that BPO companies follow stringent safety norms.
• Hospital employees (87%) are most satisfied with their duration of night shift because it occurs only once or twice a week. This level of satisfaction is 84% in BPOs, 78% in leather and 75% in textiles industry.
• Less commuting problems are faced by BPOs (4%) and hospital employees (6%). But employees of textiles (23%) and leather industry (19%) face relatively more commuting problems.
• Less childcare facilities are provided to textiles and leather employees, only 6% and 5% respectively. BPOs and hospitals provide more child care facilities to their employees, which are 10% and 8% respectively
• Survey observed that 95% of BPO employees are satisfied with their employers. This figure is 93% in case of hospital employees. The level of satisfaction is observed less in textiles (74%) and leather employees (69%). Mental harassment is least among BPOs (3%) and hospital employees (5%). It is much higher in textiles (15%) and leather industries (21%)

Companies should do to ensure safety of staff working in night shifts

1. Provide transport facilities from the residence to workplace and back, free of cost and with adequate security.
2. Employment of women employees in night shift shall be on rotation basis.
3. Post adequate number of security guards during night shift.
4. Provide sufficient rest rooms, latrines and washing facilities with water supply separately for women employees so as to secure privacy.
5. The establishment should bear the cost of creche facility obtained by women employees from voluntary or other organisations.
6. The Company should obtain bio-data/police verification of each driver.
7. The Company must conduct pre-employment screening of the antecedents of all drivers employed on their own.
8. While hiring drivers through outsourcing, the company should ensure that the collection of bio-data and pre-employment screening of the antecedents of the drivers is carried out by the service providers.
9. The Schedule of route of the pickup and drop is to be decided by the supervisory office of the company only. In case of an urgent need, change of drivers/ routes/ shifts shall be allowed only with the prior knowledge of supervisory officers/ employees.
10. The telephone number, particularly mobile phone numbers and address of the women employees should not be disclosed to unauthorised persons.
11. Careful selection of routes shall be made in such a way that ordinarily no women employees shall be picked up first and dropped last.
12. The company should provide security guards at work place and for night shift vehicles when women employees are being picked up first or dropped last
13. The designation supervisors of the company/ service providers may randomly check the vehicles on various routes as far as possible
14. Company must have a control room/ travel desk for monitoring vehicle movements