In what has riled the trade unions and industrial workers across the State, the State government has notified the amendments to the Karnataka Factories Act, which among others now allows working of women in night shift and increase in daily hours of work to 12.
While the Congress had in its election manifesto promised to restore the daily hours of work to 9, it has now gone ahead with its implementation that is seen as having far reaching consequences for the industrial workers in the State.
The amendments were notified by the State government on August 7 after The Factories (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2023 that had been passed earlier by the Karnataka legislature received the assent of the President on July 10, 2023. In February, the Bill had been passed by the Karnataka Legislative Council where BJP has majority amid walkout by the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) members that opposed the Bill.
