- By Priyanka Koul
- Wed, 12 Nov 2025 10:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday announced new rules allowing women to work night shifts, with strict measures to ensure their safety and fair treatment. Under the revised guidelines, women can work between 7 pm and 6 am, but only with their written consent.
Employers are now required to provide robust security arrangements, fair wages, transportation, and other necessary facilities for women working during these hours.
The official Gazette notification further specifies that women employees working late shifts will be entitled to double wages, CCTV surveillance at the workplace, dedicated transport, and security personnel. They can work up to six days a week, and the overtime limit has been increased from 75 hours to 144 hours per quarter, with compensation at double the regular wage rate.
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: The Yogi government has taken a landmark decision in favour of women.
— ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2025
Under the new order, women can work between 7 pm and 6 am, provided they give their consent. Employers will have to ensure their security, fair wages, and other facilities.
According… pic.twitter.com/fzwuCnazhU
What Has Changed?
The changes have been made through an amendment to the Factories Act, 1948, as applied in Uttar Pradesh, allowing the state government to introduce more flexibility in working hours.
- Key provisions include the ability to extend daily work hours from nine to twelve hours (including rest intervals), extend continuous work without a break up to six hours for certain factories, and pay double wages for overtime beyond prescribed hours.
- Factories are also permitted to engage workers on extended overtime in case of exceptional work demands.
- Importantly, the revised rules aim to promote gender equality by allowing women to work night shifts in both regular and hazardous industries, provided their safety, health, and consent are ensured. These amendments now apply to 29 categories of hazardous industries where women were previously restricted from working.
