Ever since the coronavirus pandemic has hit the country, most of the people have been working from home. And now, the companies are in a plan to increase the number of working hours to 12 hours. It is said that the new rule could start from April 1st.

According to the new Wages Code Bill, 15 to 30 minutes of extra work done is taken as overtime. Currently, less than 30 minutes of extra work is not been taken as overtime. An employee can take half an hour break for every five hours of work. In addition to this, there may be a change in the PF and gratuity. With the new working hours increased rule, there may be changes in the employee's salary structure as well. If the basic salary is increased then the share towards PF would also increase.

Earlier, the labour ministry in a draft notification mentioned the rules allowing 12 working hours a day. The employment draft rules, notified for the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH & WC), says daily working hours can extend up to 12 hours. The OSH & WC rules will supersede 13 existing central labour law rules.

The draft rules states, "The period of work of a worker shall be so arranged that inclusive of his intervals for rest, shall not spread over for more than twelve hours in a day."

The draft notification further states, "In pursuance of Section 27 of Code, wherein an establishment a worker works for more than eight hours in any day or for more than forty-eight hours in any week, as the case may be, he shall in respect of such overtime work be entitled to wages at the rate of twice his ordinary rate of wages and shall be paid at the end of each wage period."

Recently, some of the states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and others have introduced the laws to increase the working hours to 12 hours so as to recover the losses incurred during the coronavirus induced lockdown.