A special gazette notification has been issued by the Minister of Labour, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, granting permission to women employed in sanitation and catering services to work at night.
This new permission has been granted by making an amendment to the Shop and Office Workers Act.
Accordingly, employers are now able to employ women who have completed the age of 18 years between 6.00 pm and 6.00 am the next day.
However, the gazette notification has imposed several mandatory conditions for the welfare of women employed in night work.
The gazette notification states that the employers of the relevant institutions are fully responsible for providing all these facilities, including providing suitable accommodation and transportation facilities for women working at night, ensuring the health and safety of the employees, and ensuring the general welfare.