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NEW DELHI: The Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to amend laws for increasing daily working hours from 9 to 10 hours in private establishments, reported news agency PTI, citing officials.The Maharashtra cabinet, chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has approved a series of labour law amendments recommended by a central task force, aligning the state with others such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Tripura, which have already enacted similar reforms. According to officials, the changes will be made to the Factories Act, 1948 and the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017. The revisions are aimed at allowing industries to run smoothly during peak demand or labour shortages, while ensuring workers receive proper overtime pay. Under the new rules, daily working hours in factories will rise from nine to 12, with rest breaks permitted after six hours instead of five. The legal overtime ceiling will increase from 115 to 144 hours per quarter, subject to written consent from workers. Weekly work hours will also expand from 10.5 to 12. Changes to the Shops and Establishments Act will raise daily working hours from nine to 10, increase overtime limits from 125 to 144 hours, and extend emergency duty shifts to 12 hours. These rules will apply to establishments employing 20 or more workers. Businesses with fewer than 20 workers will be exempt from registration certificates, but will still need to notify authorities through a simple intimation process. The government says the move will promote ease of doing business, attract investment, generate jobs, and safeguard workers’ rights — including double pay for overtime. The labour department, which presented the proposal last week, argued that the amendments would create a more supportive work environment, especially for women, while addressing long-standing concerns of both employees and employers.
