Haryana amends Shops Act, raises daily work hours and overtime limits

The Haryana Assembly on Monday passed a Bill increasing daily working hours for employees in shops and private establishments from nine to ten hours, triggering sharp criticism from Congress legislator Randeep Singh Surjewala, who denounced the move as “modern-day slavery”.

The Haryana Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2025, amends the state’s 1958 law to extend the daily work limit while retaining the weekly cap of 48 hours. An amendment moved by Surjewala to retain the existing nine-hour limit was rejected by a voice vote, the Indian Express reported.

Beyond daily hours, the Bill raises the permissible overtime ceiling per quarter from 50 hours to 156 hours. It also amends provisions on rest intervals, extending the maximum period of continuous work without a break from five hours to six.

State officials said the changes are intended to provide operational flexibility to businesses, strengthen worker welfare, ensure gender equality and improve ease of doing business, the Indian Express reported.

Labour minister Anil Vij defended the amendments, calling them “beneficial for both workers and shopkeepers”. He argued that longer permissible hours would help establishments manage peak demand periods without breaching the law.

Surjewala, however, warned that the combined effect of longer regular hours and higher overtime limits would legalise excessively long workdays. Citing the new quarterly overtime cap, he said that over a three-month period—excluding Sundays—employees could be required to work an additional two hours each day, effectively allowing 12-hour workdays from Monday to Saturday.

“After working for 12 hours, what will that employee do? Teach his children? Serve his elderly parents?” Surjewala said during the debate, according to the Indian Express. “Is this ease of doing business or the legalisation of modern-day slavery?”

He also criticised the extension of continuous work without rest from five to six hours, arguing that it would force employees to work long stretches without adequate breaks for food or rest.

Another contentious provision raises the threshold for registration under the Act. Establishments employing fewer than 20 workers will no longer require a registration certificate, instead needing only to intimate authorities about their business.

Surjewala claimed this change would exclude nearly 85% of Haryana’s commercial establishments from key protections under the Act, including small shops, restaurants, coaching centres and salons.

Responding, Vij said the higher threshold would reduce compliance burdens for small businesses and encourage job creation. “Earlier, every shopkeeper was required to register,” he said, adding that the change would eliminate fear of non-compliance among small employers, the Indian Express reported.

Vij also sought to normalise the amendments by pointing to similar provisions in other states. He said daily working hours of ten and quarterly overtime limits close to Haryana’s new threshold are already permitted in states such as Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, though Haryana’s proposed overtime cap would be the highest among them.

The Bill now awaits assent and notification. Its implementation is expected to sharpen debate around labour standards, working hours and regulatory reform, particularly as states recalibrate labour laws under the broader push for ease of doing business.