Establishments told to focus on Women safety

Chandigarh, The Punjab Government has notified a detailed policy for establishment from seeking exemption from section-30 of the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958 with a twin purpose of relaxing norms for establishments besides making it mandatory to for employer to ensure safety of women employee. The scheme has been formulated under the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958 for giving exemption to women employees from the provision of section-30 of the Act, which deals with the condition of employment of women.

Disclosing this, a spokesperson of the Govt. said that exemption will be given on case to case basis and establishments will have to submit applications for that. Regarding the working hours in the establishment, the spokesperson said that these should not be more than 9 hours per day and 48 hours per week.

The spokesperson further said that total hours concerning the overtime must not be more than 50 per quarter and the employee doing overtime shall be paid twice the rate of normal wages payable to him which should calculated by the hour. The management will make sure that women employees are protected from sexual harassment at workplace with regard to the direction of Hon’ble Supreme Court in Vishakha & others VS State of Rajasthan and provide proper security and transportation facility to them during evening and night shifts. In case the management engages any other agency for this purpose then it must make sure that the said agency was licensed and execute security and transport facility contact with it.

Further clarifying, the spokesperson said that women employees will board the vehicle in the presence of security personnel with the management maintaining full record of the vehicle, driver and the time of picking up women employees from home to workplace. The management will ensure the maintenance of register of security guard and movement register of the vehicle and also that the occupants of the vehicle are clearly visible from all sides.

The spokesperson elaborated that emergency call numbers are displayed inside the vehicle and also that the management will organize self defence training sessions for it’s women employees. The spokesperson also informed that during the night shift, the no. of women employees shall not exceed five and the manager of the establishment shall follow the provisions of Sexual Harassment of Women at workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.