Bengaluru, 13 September

The Karnataka State IT/ITES Employees Union (KITU) has opposed the State government's decision to allegedly remove statutory safety measures for women working night shifts through an amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act.

In a statement on Friday, KITU said the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Act, 2026, removes Clauses 25(1)(h) to 25(1)(o) of the original 1965 legislation, which provided safeguards related to transportation, driver verification, route monitoring and security for women working at night.

The Union stated the deleted provisions included mandatory background verification of drivers, authorised pick-up and drop routes, confidentiality of women's phone numbers, email IDs and addresses, and measures to avoid picking up a woman employee first or dropping her last.

The provisions also required security guards in specified situations, random checks of night-shift vehicles by designated supervisors, a control room or travel desk to monitor vehicle movement and an emergency mechanism for women employees to seek immediate assistance.

“Safe transportation and effective security mechanisms are basic, non-negotiable conditions for women's equal participation in the workforce,” it stated. “Removing these statutory safeguards places greater risk on individual women employees while reducing the accountability of employers.”

KITU said the IT/ITES sector employs a large number of women, many of whom work late nights.

KITU General Secretary Suhas Adiga demanded immediate withdrawal of the Amendment.

“KITU calls upon all employees in the sector to come forward to force the government to roll back this removal of essential safety measures for women,” the statement concluded.