Haryana has notified security based conditions from employers on the issue of women’s safety during night shift duties. The notification is specifically for night shifts in IT, ITEs , Banking establishments, three star or above hotel, logistics and warehousing establishments.
The notification specifies that Employers should take appropriate steps to prevent sexual harassment at workplace. It all specifies that the employer must ensure that victims or witnesses are not victimised or discriminated while dealing with the complaints of sexual harassment and wherever necessary, at the request of the affected worker, shift or transfer the perpetrator, if circumstances so warrant.
The notification specified that employers shall provide transportation facility to the women workers from their residence and back (for the night shift) and security guards (including female security guard) and each transportation vehicle shall also be equipped with CCTV cameras.
The notification specifies that wherever the establishment/management provides boarding and lodging arrangements for the women workers, the same shall be kept exclusively for the women under the control of women wardens or supervisors.
The notification has mandated that the management will ensure that the Security Incharge / Management have maintained the Boarding Register/Digitally signed computerized record consisting the Date, Name of the Model & Manufacturing of the Vehicle, Vehicle Registration No. ‘Name of the Driver, Address of the Driver, Phone/Contract No.’ of the Driver and Time Pick up of the women employees from the establishment destination.
The need for the notification was felt following some incidents involving women traveling late in the night from the workplace and the Haryana government has now thrown the onus of responsibility on to employers and companies to ensure safety of women workers.
