With the onset of summer, the Kerala government has issued an order by which labourers will be allowed a mandatory leave of three hours between 12 noon and 3 p.m. in the approaching months.
According to a report of The News Minute, from February 26 till April 30, all labourers working outdoors under the gruelling sun will now mandatorily rest indoors to avoid sunstrokes, stated the Kerala labour department’s order issued on February 26.
This is in accordance with the “powers of section 23(A) of the Minimum Wages Act constituted in 1958” read the order. All district labour offices have been advised to “execute the order and submit a report to the labour department”. If any ‘changes’ to the ‘timings and dates’ are ‘required’, the regional joint Labour Commissioners have been asked to clarify with the Labour Commissioner.
The order has also stated that the shift timings of the labourers be rescheduled. Those working in the morning shift will take the mandatory break of three hours between noon and 3 p.m. and complete their eight hours of working day by starting early from 7 a.m. and finishing at 7 p.m.
For other shifts, the order has asked that they be completed by 12 in the afternoon or start after 3 p.m.
These instructions however do not to apply to places which are 3,000 feet above sea level when the summers are milder.
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The Kerala government had issued a similar order in 2018 to reschedule the working hours of labourers between the months of February and April to avoid sunstrokes. Labourers in Kerala had been allowed a break between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. even last year.
