Saleswomen in Kerala finally gain the right to sit

Palakkad: Thousands of saleswomen in Kerala would be finally granted the right to sit when the governor signs the ordinance this week. After protests from many organizations, the cabinet, on the first week of July had amended the Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments Act of 1960, granting adequate seating facilities for the women staff at shops. The procedure got stalled for a while as it took some time to convene the legislative assembly. The bill was submitted to the governor as soon as it was passed in the assembly.

The bill allows the women to work even in night shifts. Presently, the firms cannot have women working between 7pm and 6 am. The newly proposed bill directs the employers to ensure that the women are dropped safely at their homes if they are hired for night shifts. It states that the establishments can have women work at night if there are at least 5 employees present between 9 pm and 6 am. However, it is mandatory that 2 among the 5 employees should be women.

The establishments should ensure safe working conditions for women at night and arrange vehicle facilities for them for transportation. The clause that the shops should be closed for a day in a week has been scrapped. Meanwhile, it has been made mandatory that the staff should be given a day off. The fine for those shop owners who don’t comply with these laws have been raised from Rs 5000 to Rs 1 lakh. It would be doubled if the laws are broken continuously.