Delhi govt. approves draft proposal on labour working conditions

The draft Delhi Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2023, has been vetted and approved by the Labour Department

Female employees doing night shifts in the city may see some improvement in their working conditions with the Delhi government approving a draft policy to lay down some labour laws.

The draft Delhi Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2023, was vetted and approved by the Labour Department on Friday and will soon be up on its website for people's suggestions.

Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand held a high-level meeting on Friday where he discussed the draft policy which seeks to allow women to work night shifts and stipulates rules for their safety during the shift, an official government statement said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier chaired a meeting with the Labour Department, directing it to take necessary steps towards increasing women's participation in the workforce, which led the department to draft the current proposal.

As per the draft rules, women, if they choose to, can now work from 7 in the night to 6 in the morning.

For such women, employers will have to arrange for their transport from home to work and vice versa, it said. They are also required to make proper arrangements for toilets and drinking water, it added.

For the safety of women, employers will be required to set up a contact number, mentioning it at the workplace as well as on the vehicle, for female workers to use in case of emergency.