The Government of Madhya Pradesh has issued two important notifications relaxing restrictions on women working night shifts in both the shops & establishments sector and the manufacturing sector (factories). These relaxations replace earlier notifications and come with specific safety and welfare conditions to ensure women’s security and legal protections.

Women’s engagement in night shifts shall be permitted only upon fulfilment of the following conditions:

1. Written consent from women employees is mandatory before engaging them in night shifts in both shops and factories.
2. Women workers must be deployed in groups of not less than five during night shifts in both sectors.
3. Employers must ensure compliance with maternity-related provisions under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 and other applicable laws.
4. In factories, employers must provide transportation facilities for women workers for pick-up and drop from their residence.
5. Women must be provided with a safe and secure workplace where they are not disadvantaged due to their gender in either shops or factories.
6. Clean toilets, washrooms, drinking water, dining and resting facilities must be provided at the workplace.
7. The access route to these facilities must be well-lit and covered under CCTV surveillance.
8. Female security guards must be posted at workplace entry and exit points wherever women are employed.
9. In factories where accommodation is provided, boarding and lodging facilities must be exclusively for women and overseen by female wardens or supervisors.
10. At least one-third of the supervisory and shift-in-charge staff in night shifts must be women in factories.
11. There must be a minimum rest gap of twelve consecutive hours when shifting women workers from day shift to night shift and vice versa.
12. All establishments must comply with the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.