Alarm bells are ringing in New Delhi's call centres, with the hi-tech industry being put at risk by half-century-old legislation banning women from working night shifts.
Nearly all the call centres in New Delhi are based in the gleaming new township of Gurgaon, in the state of Haryana. They work around the clock, providing technical support and dealing with customer inquiries for a range of companies in the US and Europe.
But government officials have sent notices to Gurgaon call centres telling them not to employ women on night shifts. Since the call centres' busiest time is at night, because of the time difference between Europe and the US, and about 40 per cent of their employees are women, the consequences could be serious if the Haryana government insists on what it calls 'strict action'.
The order stems from a 1958 law forbidding women from working at night for safety reasons.
'It's so stupid I don't even know how to react. We are all picked up from home in the office car and dropped off after work, so why are they concerned about our safety?' said Alka Seth, a Gurgaon call-centre worker.
Until now, the 150 or so call centres based in Gurgaon have sought - and been given - exemption from the law. But a new labour commissioner, G.S. Thakur, seems intent on enforcing it.
