Labour dept to inspect firms operating at night

Following the Hindustan Times report about women feeling unsafe in Gurgaon, especially during night hours, the labour department is all set to launch a special drive to inspect BPOs and call centres during odd hours, Sanjeev K Ahuja reports.

Following the Hindustan Times report about women feeling unsafe in Gurgaon, especially during night hours, the labour department is all set to launch a special drive to inspect BPOs and call centres during odd hours.

HT Image

The department will raid the offices of information technology (IT) and information technology-enabled services (ITeS) to inspect the number of women employees working in these organisations and whether employers are following guidelines to ensure the safety of women employees.

Surprisingly, the office of additional labour commissioner (NCR), Gurgaon, does not have the exact number of organisations which employ women during the night hours, for which a necessary exemption of Section 30 under the Shops & Establishment Act is required.

“As per the report submitted by the deputy labour commissioners of Zones I and II, only 49 IT and ITeS companies have acquired permission to employ women after 8pm,” additional labour commissioner Naresh Narwal told HT.

“I don’t believe that 49 organisations in Gurgaon have received exemption for employing women after 8pm. I have formed a committee of senior labour officials led by a deputy labour commissioner to find the exact number of such companies,” added Narwal.

“The panel will also ensure whether the companies have formed a committee to protect women from sexual harassment at the workplace,” he added.