After Maharashtra, now more work will have to be done in Haryana too, but there is good news for the employees.

After Maharashtra now Haryana The government has also made major changes in the rules related to working hours. Under the new labor law, employees working in shops and private commercial institutions will now have to work longer hours than before. While on one hand there is concern among the employees regarding this decision, on the other hand the government is linking it to economic development and increasing employment.

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Interestingly, along with more work, some relief provisions have also been made for employees and small businessmen, which the government is calling ‘good news’. In such a situation, the question arises whether the new rules will become a burden for the employees or will they actually get some benefits.

What is the new law?

Haryana Assembly has approved the Haryana Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2025. This bill brings changes in the old law in force since 1958. According to its new rules, now employees in shops and private commercial institutions will have to work for 10 hours daily instead of 9 hours. However, the total working hours in the entire week will still be fixed at 48 hours.

large overtime hours

In this bill, the maximum limit of overtime per quarter (three months) has been increased from 50 hours to 156 hours. Its purpose is that the business can easily meet its increasing demand. Apart from this, the limit of working continuously without break has also been increased. Earlier, employees were required to take rest after 5 hours of work, but now this time has been reduced to 6 hours.

Benefit to both business and employment

Labor Minister Anil Vij says that this change is necessary to accelerate business. According to him, this will reduce the burden of paperwork on small businessmen and will also create new employment opportunities. He also said that a major change has been made in the overtime limit, so that the business can meet its increasing demand in a better way.

Why is the opposition protesting?

Congress leader Aditya Surjewala opposed this bill. He raised the question whether this change is really meant to make business easier or a way to force workers to do more work. He said that if 10 hours of work is taken every day and overtime is also taken, then the employees will not have time for their families and personal lives. Surjewala proposed in the Assembly that the daily work limit should be kept at 9 hours only, but the House rejected it by voice vote.

Relief for small businessmen or outside the law?

The government has decided that small institutions with less than 20 employees will no longer need to obtain a registration certificate. Just giving them information about your business will be enough. According to the Labor Minister, this will provide great relief to small businessmen and will also provide them freedom from the fear of rules. At the same time, the opposition claims that due to this decision, more than 80 percent of small institutions will be out of the purview of the law.

While on one hand this new law of Haryana claims to promote development and business, on the other hand it raises questions on the time, health and family life of the workers. It will be interesting to see how its impact will be seen on the ground in the coming times.