Maharashtra Labour Law Amendments 2025

Maharashtra Labour Law Amendments 2025

The Maharashtra state government has made important changes to the Maharashtra Labour Law. These changes were approved by the Maharashtra Cabinet, which is headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The goal is to make the state more business-friendly and create more job opportunities.

Other states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Tripura have already made similar changes.

The Maharashtra government has made changes to the Factories Act, 1948, which applies to people working in factories. According to the new rules, the daily working hours have increased from 9 hours to 12 hours. Workers will now be allowed to take a rest break after 6 hours of work instead of 5 hours. The limit for overtime work has also been raised from 115 hours to 144 hours per quarter. However, workers cannot be forced to do overtime; they must give their written consent before doing any extra work. Also, the weekly work hours have gone up from 10.5 hours to 12 hours. These changes aim to provide more flexibility to industries while ensuring that workers’ rights are protected.

The Shops and Establishments Act, 2017, applies to people working in shops, offices, and other commercial places. Under the new changes, the daily working hours have been increased from 9 hours to 10 hours. The overtime limit has also gone up from 125 hours to 144 hours per quarter. In case of emergency work, employees can be asked to work up to 12 hours a day. For small establishments that have fewer than 20 workers, there is no need for full registration. They only have to inform the authorities, which makes the process easier for small businesses.

How Are Workers Protected?

Even though working hours have increased, the government has included some protections for workers:

• If employees work overtime, they will be paid double their regular wage.
• Employers cannot force employees to work extra hours. Workers must give written permission before doing overtime.
• These rules apply to both men and women workers.

Why Did the Government Make These Changes?

The main aim of these changes is to make Maharashtra a more attractive place for businesses. This will help:

• Bring more investment into the state.
• Create more job opportunities.
• Improve the ease of doing business.
• Encourage more women to join the workforce by offering flexible work hours.