Karnataka IT Union demands rollback of law removing women’s night-shift safeguards

The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) has opposed the state government’s decision to remove several statutory safety and security safeguards for women working night shifts through an amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act.

The Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Act, 2026, notified as Karnataka Act No. 38 of 2026, received the Governor’s assent earlier this month and came into force after its publication. The amendment omits clauses 25(1)(h) to 25(1)(o) of the parent Act, which laid down specific requirements for the safety and security of women employees working during night hours.

Among the provisions omitted are requirements for the verification and background checks of drivers, designated pick-up and drop routes, and safeguards to prevent women employees’ phone numbers, email IDs, and residential addresses from being disclosed to unauthorised persons.

The provisions also required employers to ensure that a woman employee was not the first person to be picked up or the last person dropped off, provide security guards in specified pick-up and drop-off situations, and conduct random checks of vehicles used to transport women working night shifts through designated supervisors.

The omitted provisions also mandated a control room or travel desk to monitor vehicle movement and an emergency mechanism through which women employees could seek immediate assistance.

KITU said the IT/ITeS sector in Karnataka employs a large number of women, many of whom work late-night shifts. It said safe transportation and effective security mechanisms were essential for women’s participation in the workforce.

“Removing these statutory safeguards places greater risk on individual women employees while reducing the accountability of employers at a time when it should be strengthened, not diluted,” the union said.

KITU has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the amendment removing clauses 25(1)(h) to 25(1)(o) and the restoration of the statutory safeguards governing transportation and security for women working night shifts.

The union has also called on employees in the IT/ITeS sector to oppose the removal of the safeguards and pressure the government to roll back the amendment.