Telangana Government Notifies Extended Work Hours for Commercial Establishments

The Government of Telangana recently issued a significant notification, G.O.Rt.No.282, from its Labour, Employment, Training and Factories Department (Lab-I), dated July 5, 2025. This instrument, published in The Telangana Gazette as an Extraordinary Part-I issue on July 8, 2025, effectively exempts all Commercial Establishments (entities engaged in trade, business, or service, excluding retail shops), as defined under Section 2(5) of the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act, 1988 (Act No.20 of 1988), from the applicability of Sections 16 and 17 of the same Act. The notification came into force immediately upon its publication. This exemption permits these establishments to allow their employees to work up to 10 hours daily, provided the weekly working hours do not exceed 48 hours. The notification stipulated several conditions, including that for work performed beyond 48 hours in a week, employees are entitled to overtime wages. Furthermore, no employee is to work for more than six hours without a rest interval of at least 30 minutes, and the total spread-over of an employee's work periods, including rest, must not exceed twelve hours on any given day. The notification also set a maximum overtime limit of 144 hours in any quarter of a year. Non-compliance with these conditions could lead to the revocation of the exemption orders by the Government without prior notice.

The underlying intent behind this notification was to foster an environment conducive to "Ease of Doing Business" within the state. Prior to this notification, Sections 16 and 17 of the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act, 1988, would have imposed more stringent limitations on daily and weekly working hours for employees in commercial establishments. The new measure addresses these statutory limitations by providing greater flexibility in work scheduling for employers while simultaneously safeguarding employee welfare through mandated rest periods and overtime compensation. The legislation provided: “...to allow daily working hours of 10 hours subjected to weekly hours limit of 48 hours among others under Ease of Doing Business...” This policy rationale aims to enable businesses to operate more efficiently, potentially extending service hours or managing peak demands more effectively, which could benefit sectors like IT, hospitality, and other service industries that often require flexible staffing. By exempting establishments from the earlier provisions, the government introduced new obligations for employers, such as the mandatory payment of overtime wages for work exceeding 48 hours weekly, and established clear parameters for daily work, rest, and spread-over periods. The enforcement mechanism is direct, with the government reserving the right to revoke the exemption if any of the stipulated conditions are violated, ensuring adherence to the new framework.

Keywords: Telangana, Labour Law, Work Hours, Commercial Establishments, Ease of Doing Business, Shops and Establishments Act, Overtime, Labour Regulations, Telangana Government

Geo Tags: Country: India, State: Telangana District: Not Applicable