PUCL Maharashtra slams cabinet-approved labour law amendments, calls them ‘regressive’

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Maharashtra, has criticised the Maharashtra government’s September 3, 2025, Cabinet decision to amend key labour laws, calling the move “highly regressive” and a “direct attack” on workers’ rights.

The organisation warned that the proposed reforms would erode decades-old labour protections, legalise exploitative work conditions, and shrink the organised workforce across the State.  

The amendments, if implemented, will affect the Factories Act, 1948 and the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017, the statement said. The State government has said that the decision is a step towards “attracting investment, expanding industries, and creating more employment opportunities.” 

However, PUCL Maharashtra has rejected these claims, stating that the reforms would weaken existing protections rather than improve them.

“These amendments are designed to legalise overwork and coercively push workers into a harsher, exploitative regime,” said Shiraz Bulsara Prabhu, President of PUCL Maharashtra. “Far from creating jobs, this will reduce employment by replacing 8-hour shifts with 12-hour ones, effectively shrinking the organised workforce by nearly one-third,” he added.  

Under the proposed changes to the Factories Act, the workday could be extended from nine to twelve hours, while mandatory rest breaks would be delayed from after five hours to after six. The permissible daily work limit would rise from 10.5 to 12 hours, and the quarterly overtime ceiling would increase from 115 to 144 hours. 

Similarly, amendments to the Shops and Establishments Act would raise working hours from nine to ten hours and exclude establishments with fewer than 20 workers from regulatory coverage. PUCL estimates this would reduce protections from 85 lakh establishments to just 56,000, leaving lakhs of workers vulnerable. 

“Exempting smaller establishments will push countless workers into exploitative conditions without legal recourse,” said Sandhya Gokhale, General Secretary of PUCL Maharashtra. “At a time when contractual labour is already widespread, this step institutionalises sweatshop-like practices.” 

PUCL has also warned that longer working hours could worsen workplace safety and public health. Studies show that prolonged shifts increase the risk of accidents, exhaustion, stress-related illnesses, and occupational hazards, the statement said. 

The organisation compared India’s trajectory with global labour practices, pointing out that many developed nations have moved towards shorter workweeks. For example, France enforces a 35-hour work week, with any hours beyond that counted as overtime. 

“India was among the earliest signatories to the International Labour Organisation’s Hours of Work Convention, 1921, which enshrined the eight-hour workday,” Mr. Prabhu said. “By reversing this historic achievement, the government is dismantling rights won through more than a century of workers’ struggles.” 

PUCL has demanded that the full texts of the proposed amendments be made publicly available in Marathi and English and displayed in all Labour Department offices. The organisation has urged the government to hold extensive consultations with trade unions, workers’ groups, and other stakeholders before passing any legislation. 

The civil liberties group has also announced plans to campaign against the proposed reforms in alliance with trade unions and informal-sector workers’ organisations. It intends to lobby the Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee and opposition MLAs to block the amendments and, if necessary, challenge the changes in court. 

“Instead of pushing workers into longer hours, the government should explore progressive reforms, such as reducing working hours without cutting wages, to improve productivity and protect worker welfare,” Ms. Gokhale added.