Considering 12-Hour Shifts Due to Manpower Shortage: What Labor Laws Should HR Know?

I am Kumar, working in a company as HR. Presently, the total plant is operating in 8-hour shifts. There is a manpower shortage in some areas, so we are considering changing from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts. Are there any special facilities available in labor laws for making this change? Please suggest.

Hours of Work

Section 51 of the Factories Act, 1948 prescribes that no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work in a factory for more than forty-eight hours in any week. Further, Section 54 stipulates that, subject to the provision of Section 51, no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work in a factory for more than nine hours in any day. However, there is a provision to this section which states that, subject to the prior approval of the Chief Inspector, the daily maximum hours specified in Section 54 may be exceeded in order to facilitate the change of shift.

Hope this clarifies.

You cannot engage workers for 12 hours a day on a regular basis. Labour Law does not permit such engagement even if you pay extra wages (at double the rate) for the additional 4 hours that the workers work because the maximum hours including overtime should has been defined under various Acts, viz, Factories Act, Plantation Labour Act, Mines Act, or Shops and Commercial Establishments Act. Under no Act is it more than 60 hours a week.