"Karnataka govt allows women to work in night shift in factories", 20 November 2019

The Karnataka government...approved the employment of women workers willing to work in night shifts, thus signalling a growing shift in the mindsets of lawmakers who have resisted earlier attempts over concerns of safety and exploitation.

The notification comes at a time when the Karnataka government is trying to draft new laws as part of its efforts to improve the ease of doing business in the state, update itself to suit the requirements of new age companies like startups, aggregators and others that will help both the industry and to protect workers from arbitrary rules.

The state government has laid down conditions for employing women in night shifts that include adequate measures to prevent and address sexual harassment, provide appropriate working conditions, equal opportunity devoid of discrimination among other rules to ensure the safety and sanctity of women employees are not compromised.

“The employers shall see that the women workers are employed in a batch of not less than ten and the total of the women workers employed in a night shift shall not be less than 2/3rd of the total strength," according to the notification. It also directs for sufficient women security staff, rest rooms and transport facilities.

...The laws to monitor the conditions of employment in the night also part of efforts to protect women from all or any kind of harassment in workplaces.