Bhubaneswar: Last Aug, the state govt had announced to allow women to work night shifts at factories, private shops and commercial establishments and accordingly, a month later, amended the Factories Act, 1948 and withdrew Section 23 of Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Act, 2025.On paper, it was a significant move as the govt aimed to increase employment opportunities for women and facilitate the ease of doing business, but going by anecdotal evidence, few women are choosing to work night shifts at the moment. Women employees still have reservations about working night shifts and in places where they are willing to work at odd hours, safety remains the biggest obstacle.
Stakeholders in manufacturing, service and other allied sectors said safety still remains the only roadblock. “The amendments state that night shifts can be allowed if three women employees show interest but the employer has to provide them transport facility to return home. This is possible only in the corporate sector. Secondly, even if a woman working in any factory chooses a 2 pm to 10 pm shift and a transport is provided, it is not safe for her to return home at those hours. Both the woman employee and her employer realise this,” Sattwik Swain, secretary general of Odisha Assembly of Small and Medium Enterprises. said.He added, “The micro, small and medium enterprises in the state may be having just 1% of women working in night shifts after the amendments.”This despite the fact that there is a need for women to work in night shifts in certain sectors that are labour-intensive like garments, food and packaging among others.Shyamali Jena, a worker in a Berhampur-based packaging unit, said, ‘Manufacturing units are generally located on the outskirts of cities. Even if the employer arranges a cab or a bus facility to drop women workers at their homes at night, who will be responsible for any incident that happens en route.”Safety apart, family responsibilities have also kept women away from odd working hours. Cuttack-based entrepreneur Rashmi Sahoo, who employs over 400 women in her food processing and spices manufacturing units, said even after the amendments, which call for double pay for women opting for night shifts, the demand for these working hours is nil. “In our plants, we have noticed that women will work throughout the day but would want to end their shift by 8 pm because they have to attend to their families,” she said.However, regional director of World Trade Centre, A Rajyalaxmi, feels it is too early to expect a change. “Implementation is what matters. To employ women in night shifts is something that is still in consideration as far as companies are concerned. They need to rework their HR policies for women to opt for night shifts and these policies should be acceptable by women,” she said, adding that if the night shift amendments are implemented with strict adherence to safety, dignity and workplace infrastructure standards, it can empower more women to participate in all sectors.
