Indian shop workers – most of them women – win the right to sit
Al Jazeera
Tamil Nadu second Indian state to enshrine ‘right to sit’ in law, citing health risks for retail workers – mostly women.
On her feet at work for 10 hours a day, Indian shop assistant S Lakshmi* walks painfully home at the end of her shift to nurse her aching legs and swollen ankles. But relief may be in sight.
Last month, Tamil Nadu became the second Indian state to enshrine retail staff’s “right to sit” in law, ordering store owners to provide seating and let employees take the weight off their feet whenever possible during the working day.
“Until now, the only solace during these long shifts would be the 20-minute lunch break and the few seconds we would lean against the shelves to support our aching feet,” said Lakshmi, 40, who has worked in the same clothing store for a decade.
