Haryana Assembly Passes Bill Allowing 10-Hour Workday for Shop Employees
Labour Minister Anil Vij introduced the Bill during the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha.
Haryana Assembly Passes Bill Allowing 10-Hour Workday for Shop Employees
On Monday, the Haryana Assembly passed the Haryana Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2025, raising the daily working hours for employees of shops and private commercial establishments from nine to ten hours while retaining the weekly cap at 48 hours. A significant move affecting labour regulations in the state, the legislation amends the Haryana Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958.
Labour Minister Anil Vij introduced the Bill during the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha, saying the changes are intended to reduce the compliance burden on smaller establishments, promote economic growth, and ensure continued worker protections alongside benefits for shopkeepers and traders. He emphasised that the increase in daily hours, inclusive of rest intervals, remains within the statutory weekly maximum of 48 hours.
A key provision of the Bill is the increase in the permissible limit of overtime work per quarter from 50 to 156 hours, which allows shops and commercial establishments greater flexibility to manage peak demands, emergencies, or staff shortages more efficiently. The Bill also proposes increasing the maximum continuous work period without a rest break from five to six hours.
However, the bill sparked opposition from Congress MLA Aditya Surjewala, who questioned whether the changes represent a genuine ease of doing business or the legalisation of what he termed “modern-day slavery”. Surjewala moved an amendment, supported by his party legislators, to retain the existing nine-hour limit, but it was rejected by a voice vote. He argued that, with the higher overtime threshold, workers could effectively be required to work up to 12 hours a day under certain conditions, reducing time available for personal and family life.
Minister Vij also highlighted that establishments with fewer than 20 employees will not require a formal registration certificate; instead, a business intimation will be sufficient, aiming to encourage job creation and ease regulatory issues for smaller businesses. He noted that similar thresholds and working hour norms exist in states such as Maharashtra, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Officials said the Bill was passed on the concluding day of the session along with seven other legislative measures, including amendments relating to private universities, land ownership rights and broader trust-based governance reforms.
Source: The Tribune