WORKING HOURS FOR EMPLOYEES
There is enough confusion prevailing among employers and employees regarding the working hours of employees in shops, offices and establishments in the state of Karnataka. Often this confusion leads to frustrations and in turn to labor unrest. Let us see what the law of the land prescribes in this regard.
Normally an employee can be made to work only for a maximum of nine hours on any day and 48 hours in any week. Including overtime, an employee can be made to work for a maximum of 10 hours in a day, the exemption being days of stock taking and account preparations. However the total number of overtime hours worked by an employee shall not exceed fifty in a period of three continuous months.
When an employee works in any establishment for more than nine hours in any day or for more than forty eight hours in any week, he shall in respect of such overtime work be entitled to wages at twice the rate of normal wages.
The period of work for an employee shall not exceed five hours at a stretch. After five hours of continuous work the employee shall have at least one hour of rest. Further, the period of work (inclusive of interval for rest) shall not spread over more than twelve hours in any day.