Work Hours Extension in Gujarat: 9 to 12 Hours! How does this affect your organization?
Labour law has been a critical area for any organization in the industrial landscape. Balancing productivity with the well-being of workers is not just a legal requirement but a moral imperative. From traditional 8-hour shifts to extended work hours in certain industries, the debate over how much is too much continues to shape labour laws and workplace practices. We are going to talk about a few of these labour laws that got amended in Gujarat a couple of months back, and how it is going to affect your organization.
Changes in Labour Laws
The Gujarat government has amended the Factories Act 1948, (Gujarat Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, with a set of labour reforms. This ordinance has the following reforms that have been in effect since July 1, 2025:
- Permissible daily work hours have been extended from 9 hours to 12 hours, with written consent from the employee. The weekly cap still remains unchanged at 48 hours.
- Allow women to work night shifts between 7 pm and 6 am, provided they give a written consent and with prescribed safety norms.
- The uninterrupted work hour can be extended from 5 hours to 6 hours, with a prior formal notification from the employer.
- Quarterly overtime ceiling has been increased from 75 hours to 125 hours, keeping the double wage policy intact. The employee can voluntarily extend their willingness to participate.
The ordinance is to improve the balance of the workers with flexibility and equal opportunities for all, boosting productivity, job creation, and investments in the industrial sector of Gujarat. The amendment allowing night shift for women comes with 16 stringent safeguards that include 24/7 CCTV surveillance, secure transport, female security personnel, a minimum of 10 women per shift, and more. Night shift cannot be assigned to any woman without prior written consent, and it must provide mandatory harassment protection.
Gujarat becomes the 5th state to extend the longer working hours in a day after Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu introduced the reform.
Impacting Organizations!
Longer working hours would allow organizations to reduce their number of shift changes and meet the target more smoothly. However, with increased working hours, organizations must keep a check on the well-being and fatigue of the employees, as they would be more prone to exhaustion. Moreover, implementing the new norms could also trigger union worker relations and could lead to heavy discomfort if not handled carefully and with transparency.
An increased OT limit quarterly would derive more per employee, subject to their consent, as it would allow more working hours without hiring any extra workforce. However, this would also mean accurately calculating the OT hours for the employees who are going overboard to work extra hours.
Talking about compliance and legal obligations, the written consent cannot be overlooked, especially for women working night shifts. Consent must be obtained and documented; failing to adhere to this would create severe penalty scenarios.
Nevertheless, this flexibility would attract new investments, improve efficiency, and push the economic growth of Gujarat’s industrial sector. Organizations with responsible adoption of the new reforms would create an employee-friendly environment while enhancing their reputation as a compliant and inclusive organization.
End Note
The Gujarat Amendment to the Factories Act offers greater flexibility while emphasizing safety and inclusivity. For organizations, this is not merely a regulatory change—it’s an opportunity to rethink operations, embrace gender diversity, and invest in employee well-being. However, the true success of these reforms will depend on how responsibly businesses implement them. By balancing productivity with compliance and worker welfare, companies can not only meet the new legal standards but also strengthen their reputation as progressive, future-ready employers in a competitive industrial landscape.