Public Sector Working Hours in Karnataka: Does Lunch Break Count in Your Total Hours?

Dear Experts, Is the lunch break included or excluded when we calculate daily/weekly working hours in the public sector manufacturing industry in Karnataka?

Regards,
Amit

In any factory, shifts may be from 6 am to 2 pm, 2 pm to 10 pm, and 10 pm to 6 am (next day), while the general shift may be from 9 am to 5:30 pm. In morning, evening, and night shifts, it is not possible to work 8 hours with a half-hour lunch break. However, in the general shift, it is possible to work 8 hours with a half-hour lunch break. As a practice, most organizations pay for 8 hours in the case of shift duty other than the general shift, where employees work 7.5 hours. I have no idea what Karnataka public sector manufacturing units are following.

Regards,
S K Bandyopadhyay (WB, Howrah) CEO-USD HR Solutions

In a continuous process setting, an 08-hour shift is considered, where the machine or production must not be stopped. If production and the machine halt during the lunch hour, the duty hour will extend to 08:30 hours, inclusive of a 30-minute lunch break. Approval from the relevant authority is required for both scenarios.

General Shift Duration
In certain industries, the general shift spans 09 hours due to a 01-hour lunch break provision; however, the total duty time remains 08 hours per day. In the general shift, commercial staff, such as those in HR, Finance, Accounts, and Senior Management, who are indirectly involved with the production department, work. Hence, the 08:30-hour duration is considered standard for the general shift.

Prohibition of Overlapping Shifts Under the Factories Act, 1948

Section 58 of the Factories Act, 1948, states the prohibition of overlapping shifts. Therefore, whether it is a continuous manufacturing process (e.g., a steel plant) or a non-continuous manufacturing process (any normal engineering industry like a tool room), it is not possible to allow work for an 8.5-hour duty, including lunch, when the organization is working in three shifts. In those cases, working hours will be 7.5 hours, and half an hour will be allocated for a lunch break.

Working Hours in a General Shift

In the case of a general shift, it is possible to work for 8.5 hours as it is only one shift.

Example from Guest Keen Williams Ltd

At the start of my career (1976), I worked for Guest Keen Williams Ltd (GKW, MNC) where, in the Sankey division, after an agreement with the union, the morning shift was from 5 am to 1:30 pm, the second shift was from 1:30 pm to 10 pm, and the night shift was from 10 pm to 5 am the next day. During the night shift, working hours were 6.5 hours with half an hour of rest but paid for 8 hours. However, during the morning and second shift, the working hours were 8 hours with half an hour of rest.

Shift Roster Approval and Display

There are no provisions to obtain approval from the Factory Directorate for a normal shift roster. The shift roster should be displayed on the notice board, and based on the rules of the different states in India, it may need to be forwarded to the factory directorate. To the best of my knowledge, other than special arrangements (e.g., spread over more than 10.5 hours, etc.), approval from the factory directorate will be required.

S. K. Bandyopadhyay (WB, Howrah)
CEO-USD HR Solutions