Current Working Hours in India The regulatory framework for working hours in India has traditionally been governed by the Factories Act, 1948. This law stipulates that employees should not work more than 48 hours per week or 9 hours per day, ensuring adequate rest periods and preventing excessive work hours.
An adult (over 18 years of age) cannot work for more than 48 hours in a week and not more than 9 hours in a day. Further, the spreadover should not exceed 10½ hours. Otherwise, the overtime rules are applicable.
The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 mandates a 30- to 90-day notice period when terminating “workmen.” In the case of manufacturing units, plantations, and mines with 100 or more workmen, “termination for convenience” requires government approval; in other sectors, it requires only government notification.
Along with the other major labour laws, the Act has been subsumed into one single code, the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions (OSH Code), 2020. ing to the Code, employees are generally required to work no more than 8 to 9 hours per day (12 hours in some regions) and 48 hours per week.
India Time Off/Break Laws Workers can work up to 48 hours a week. This means they can work up to 9 hours a day, with a lunch break included. Workers are entitled to get a 30 to 60-minute break every four to five hours. But in an eight-hour shift, many companies typically give a one-hour lunch break.
In India, the working hours are set for employees as per its labour laws, which apply to both skilled and unskilled workers. The Factories Act, 1948, limits daily working hours to a maximum of 9 hours and weekly hours to 48.
➢ Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 prohibits employment of children below the age of 14 years in 18 occupations and 65 processes. ➢ The onus of enforcement of the provisions of the Act lies with the State Governments as envisaged in Section 2 of the Act.