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The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on June 4 approved the Andhra Pradesh Factories Amendment Bill, 2025, which allows women to work night shifts after 7 pm and before 6 am. The law also brings in various other amendments to the Factories Act, 1948 such as increasing the allowed daily work hours, overtime, etc.
The changes are being brought in “as part of labour reforms to reduce procedural compliance burden on industrial establishments,” said an official statement.
Announcing the decisions taken in the Cabinet meeting held by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on June 4, Information and Public Relations Minister Kolusu Partha Sarathy said that from now on, women may work at night in factories with safeguards such as consent, transport, security, and CCTV surveillance. He also mentioned that the areas surrounding the workplace must be well lit.
Managements of factories where women work night shifts will also have to adhere to conditions such as providing adequate protection to ensure prevention of sexual harassment, transportation from the factory to the doorstep of their residence, etc.
Parthasarathy also mentioned that Section 54 of the Factories Act is amended to increase the maximum permissible daily work hours from nine to 10 hours. Section 55, which says that workers can only work a maximum of five hours before an interval of rest, has been amended to raise the work period to six hours.
While Section 56 says that the maximum work hours including rest periods cannot be spread over more than ten and a half hours in a day, this has now been raised to 12 hours.
The maximum overtime allowed per quarter, which was 50 to 75 hours as per Sections 64 and 65, has now been raised to 144 hours.
Parthasarathy said the changes are part of the government’s move to improve ease of doing business in the state.
“The State Cabinet approved the proposal by the Labour, Factory Boilers & Insurance Medical Services Department (LFB & IMS) to amend certain provisions of Sections 54, 55, 56, 59, 64, 65, 66 of the Factories Act, 1948 through the Andhra Pradesh Factories Amendment Bill, 2025, as part of labour reforms to reduce procedural compliance burden on industrial establishments,” a government release said.