Industry wants to see women working at night

SHOMA PATNAIK | NT 

Panaji

With differing views on the proposal to allow women to work in night shift, the Goan industry on Thursday said that it wholeheartedly supports the proposed amendment to the Factory Act 1948, which seeks to allow women to work on the shop floor from 7 pm to 6 am.

Industry sources said that such a proposal is the need of the hour due to shortage of manpower.

Moreover there has been a situation in the state where women outnumber men in educational qualifications.

The sources said that women have proved to be better qualified than men, which will give fillip to women participation in the labour force.

The sources observed that Goan women are ready to work in production jobs and in late night shift, as expressed in the applications received for job openings.

Goa Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association president Pravin Khullar said that if the amendment to the Factories Act is adopted by the state legislative assembly then it will give women a choice to work late hours. 

“Companies should be permitted to have women working at night only if they have proper travel arrangement, and if there is safety and security,” he emphasised, adding that the state government should also improve transport facility in industrial estates. 

The GPMA was the first of the industry body to lobby for women in night shift. The state is a pharma production-export hub with factories of almost all major companies located in various industrial estates. According to the pharmaceutical industry, a lot of women graduate from pharmacy colleges but they remain unemployed because they cannot be employed in production which operates in shifts.

Besides the pharmaceutical units, several large industrial units in the state have night shift arrangement, which presently is manned by men. 

Sanjay Bhandari, in-charge of corporate management affairs of the Usgaon-based Nestle, said the company would provide pickup and drop facility if women are employed in late shifts.

Women should be given the freedom to decide on their working hours and

should not be forced to work in night shifts, he reckoned. 

Several sectors in the state such as IT software, call centres, hotels, hospitals and the airport employ women in late night shift and are not covered under the Factory Act.

Director of the Panaji-based Open Destinations Milind Anvekar said that their IT software company has an arrangement: all night-shift employees are picked and dropped by drivers who are also employees.

“Software companies have to give 24×7 support to clients and employ women. We provide night-shift allowance, transport and food to all employees who work late, and they include women,” Anvekar explained.

The government’s decision to get the amendment to the Factory Act passed in the assembly has evoked protests from trade unions and thumbs-up from women’s groups.

Trade unions fear harassment, while for women’s groups see it is a sign of empowerment.