Labour ministry readies draft notification allowing 12 working hours a day.

The labour ministry, in a draft notification, has notified rules allowing 12 working hours a day, higher than nine allowed earlier, including one hour of rest. The employment draft rules, notified for the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH & WC), says daily working hours can extend up to 12 hours. The OSH & WC rules will supersede 13 existing central labour law rules. However, like earlier, these draft rules say no worker should be required or allowed to work in an establishment for more than 48 hours in any week. "The period of work of a worker shall be so arranged that inclusive of his intervals for rest, shall not spread over for more than twelve hours in a day," the draft rules state.