BHARATI PAWASKAR
Goa is fast changing her face. But is it changing for better or for worse? Will the recent bill passed in the Goa Asssembly, allowing women in the industrial sector to work in the night shift, bring gender equality at workplace? Should gender equality be the only reason to bring such bill? The bill moved by the deputy chief minister of Goa, Chandrakant Kavlekar, is an amendment to the Factories and Boilers Act, and mentions clearly that women employees would not be forced to work at night. But those who are willing to do so are free to do it henceforth. Many working women have welcomed this decision of the state government while some are skeptical of its implications.
Reasoning that the bill aims at offering equal opportunities to working women, the deputy chief minister stated, “We should not be controlling their (women’s) working hours and need to think with a broad mind. The bill seeks to allow women staff to work in night shifts in factories from 7 pm to 6 am. Obtaining the woman’s consent shall be mandatory for this purpose. Many times women do not get promotions as they cannot work night shifts. There is a ban only in the private industry, but there is no ban in other industries like airport, hospitality and other sectors.”
The bill has evoked multiple responses from various strata of society. Whereas the president of Goa State Industries Association (GSIA), Raj Kumar Kamat feels that this is a welcome move which will give more flexibility to working women in state as long as proper safety measures are taken, there are people who oppose this bill on humanitarian and safety grounds.
Pointing out that Goa is changing fast and the mentality of Goans is changing too, Shreya Korgaonkar, promotions manager at Big Daddy Casino, states, “Numerous Goan women out there are willing to work in the night shift in various industries. They wanted to work during the night hours for various personal reasons, but couldn’t do so. Now that it is officially announced, the government will put in place a support system for those women who wish to work at night. It’s heartwarming to know that.”
Shreya agrees that there has been pick-up and drop services for those working in hospitality, IT, call centers, casinos etc. However, for those who work in other sectors, there is no such service. “As Goa is not a transport friendly state, and moving from one place or city to another is not hassle-free here, traveling from home to workplace or vise-versa would be difficult, especially for women who work on night shifts, says Janaki Naik (name changed), a staff nurse at a private hospital in Margao. Sharing her own experience of working on night shifts, Janaki points out that it is better when she has her own vehicle to travel to and from home to hospital and it is not advisable to rely on public transportation system in the state.
“Unlike metros in other states, there are no buses plying passengers at odd hours, especially in the rural areas. How are we supposed to reach on time in the absence of state transport at late nights and early mornings? The bill will now pave way for the state transport arrangements and also look into the safety part,” states Aditi Chopra (name changed) who works in the hospitality industry.
However, singer Elaine Pinto from south Goa who works with live band and travels across the state did not experience any issues while traveling at night. “I am a lone traveler, especially in South Goa. I travel in my own vehicle late at night. Never ever in the past four-five years, did I experience any kind of negative incident! In fact, the police and the RTO have always shown concern at every point. Whenever I have music show in North Goa, my colleagues accompany me and we travel in groups,” she shares. “Yes, otherwise women do feel insecure while traveling in private vehicles, especially as criminal offenses are on the rise. But if the State government has passed this bill, all care would be taken to ensure the safety of the women who work late night,” feels Elaine.
